The Triumph
by T.J. Strauss
Summary: Pre-TPM. Aro-Ken and his Master Del-Mon go to Crixxin to help end a religious war, but get separated and dragged into the conflict, Del-Mon with the resistance and Aro-Ken with a group of exiles. Not deeply religious at all. It's finished, please R&R!
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own Star Wars! I wish I did, but that's not the point.  
  
AN: This was really posted to make up for the fact that I have severe writers' block on The Lightsaber. This is complete, so updates will be frequent.  
  
I'd also like to thank everyone who reviewed The Lightsaber even though I probably won't work on it for some time.  
  
Now read, review, and enjoy!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
Del-Mon Wesia looked sadly over the war-torn planet of Crixxin. He fought to hide his emotions.  
  
Crixxin had once been a beautiful planet, called the Jewel of the Core. Its cities had been centers for learning and trade. There were never battles.  
  
Many of those who weren't tradesmen or intellectuals in the fine universities of the planet were peaceful farmers. They lived in quaint little cottages in the outskirts of the cities growing vinesilk and juju fruit.  
  
Despite all the industry of the planet, the inhabitants refused to let it ruin their precious and beautiful environment. The forests, rivers, and the clear blue sky never saw a drop of pollution. The wildlife flourished as it had in the days before civilization.  
  
The capital city, Crixx, had been possibly the most wonderful of all cities on the planet. The buildings were very old and had elaborate architecture, with sculptures and carvings on every street corner and every arch.  
  
The people were usually fair-skinned with bright eyes and light colored hair to match, but ones who did not look this way were accepted without hesitation.  
  
The planet was run by the Crixxian religion. Any laws passed were made as they believed their many gods would wish for them to do. Most of Crixxin's important politicians were also strong church leaders.  
  
But after a while, the planet's citizens had begun to question the religion. The Prime Ministers had grown angry with them, and had used their strong influence over the government to have many of those opposed exiled.  
  
After a while, the King and Queen had no power, finding that they had been cheated out of it by the Prime Ministers. Yet they did not have any of them killed or exiled, knowing that they would not receive their Reward when they died if they did such a thing.  
  
Rebellions were sprouting up all over the planet. There were so many that finally, about half the population did not believe in Crixxian anymore. The Prime Ministers had recruited armies, and now began to wipe out the Atheists.  
  
The Atheists had weapons too, however, and soon the entire planet was in a bloody religious war.  
  
Del-Mon had previously been instructed to go to the planet with his apprentice Aro-Ken Rumos, and then return to the Jedi Council with news of the situation, which they had done.  
  
They had both felt compelled to return to the planet, and they were now approaching it. This time they were going to meet with the king and queen and possibly the leader of the Atheists.  
  
Aro-Ken sat next to him in the copilot's seat. He was a strong boy who was almost seventeen. He still had many of his boyish features. His brown hair was traditionally cut, short all over his head except for a long braid over his right shoulder and the short ponytail in the back of his head. His eyes were an icy blue color.  
  
Del-Mon, on the other hand, had very light brown hair. It was about halfway down his neck, and he kept it tied back in a short ponytail. His eyes were green, and he was in his mid-thirties. He had a tall, powerful build.  
  
In the past three years that the two had known each other, they had done many things. Among them, they had been captured by some Sith warlords and Aro-Ken had been tempted dangerously close to the Dark side. They had saved the royal family of Temmeck and solved a mysterious assassin of a major crime lord on Enron. They had rescued a large ship full of planetary diplomats when a computer virus seized it. The two had even saved the planet Thekken when a warlord had held it hostage with her huge fleet.  
  
They quietly sat next to each other at the moment, neither saying a work as they looked sadly at the planet they were nearing.  
  
"We're landing now," Del-Mon said, finally breaking the silence.  
  
Aro-Ken only nodded. He had been thinking about the recent battle they had been involved in on the planet surface.  
  
Recently the king and queen of Crixxin had asked the Jedi Council to send someone to help resolve the conflict. Del-Mon and Aro-Ken had been instructed by the Jedi Council to go to Crixxin as guardians of peace. They were simply to observe their surroundings and report back to the Council, who would then decide what to do. But they had immediately been met with conflict. They had seen both sides of the story, and had wound up caught in the middle of the two warring groups.  
  
The Atheists saw the Prime Ministers and Crixxians as barbarians and oppressors who wanted to stamp out all freedom on the planet, and kill all who opposed them.  
  
The Prime Ministers and Crixxians saw the Atheists as bloodthirsty savages who wished to kill anyone who opposed them and plunge their world into chaos by destroying the Crixxian religion.  
  
There were some, like the king and queen, who tried to remain neutral, but it often did not work.  
  
This time, on their journey to Crixx, the Jedi Council had arranged for Aro- Ken and Del-Mon to meet with the rulers of the planet, King Anjos and Queen Leckura. From within the palace, they hoped to resolve the horrible conflict this time.  
  
Their ship slowly descended into the atmosphere. They landed a distance from the capital city itself, knowing that both groups could mistake them for the other and open fire, as had happened last time they landed on Crixxin.  
  
"Come Padawan," Del-Mon beckoned for Aro-Ken to follow, and he did.  
  
Del-Mon did not speak as they made their way to the city. In the years before, it had been free and out in the open. Now there were thick durasteel walls surrounding it.  
  
They approached the nearest gate, on their guard. Neither's hands were straying for their lightsabers, but every muscle in both their bodies was tense and ready for anything.  
  
They came to the gate, and a small viewscreen to their right flickered and came on.  
  
"Are you familiar with the customs routine of Crixxin?" asked the woman who sat there. She was neither old nor young. She had very dark hair, and light blue eyes.  
  
"No, we're not," Del-Mon said.  
  
"Put your passcard in the slot under the viewscreen. Once we match you with your identity, you will be cleared to enter the city," the woman said, seemingly bored with her task.  
  
"We have no passcards," Del-Mon said.  
  
"No passcards? I am afraid you cannot enter the city. Please return to where ever you came from," the woman said.  
  
"With all due respect, we are not leaving. We are Jedis. We have been summoned here by King Anjos and Queen Leckura. We have appointments in the palace," Del-Mon explained.  
  
"I am afraid no one gets in without a passcard. You will have to leave immediately or I shall have to summon security," said the woman.  
  
"I repeat, we are not leaving. We have royal appointments in the palace. You have to believe me," Del-Mon said.  
  
"Fine. I shall open the gate. We shall see who is lying and who is doing the right thing momentarily."  
  
"Finally," sighed Aro-Ken, who had chosen to remain silent.  
  
The gate squeaked open on rusty hinges.  
  
As they walked forward, master and apprentice, blue energy bars suddenly shot up from the ground on all sides.  
  
Aro-Ken spun around in disbelief, and Del-Mon had immediately unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and ignited the emerald blade in one swift movement.  
  
Spotting his master's move, Aro-Ken fumbled to do the same.  
  
"What a warm welcome," he muttered under his breath.  
  
"Be ready, Aro-Ken," Del-Mon simply said.  
  
All of the sudden, the ground dropped open.  
  
Del-Mon spotted Aro-Ken as he tried to spring aside, but to no avail. He fell down after Del-Mon, turning off his lightsaber as he did so.  
  
They tumbled down a metal chute, rolling head over heels. The tunnel was dented and rocks and dirt was scattered about.  
  
As Del-Mon fell, he tried to get his feet in front of him to slow his fall, but his efforts were in vain.  
  
His head, arms, and the rest of his body knocked against the sides of the chute, and he finally came out the end. Shortly after, Aro-Ken tumbled out and landed on Del-Mon's legs.  
  
There was a clacking and banging from within the chute, and the boy's lightsaber emerged a moment later, landing in his lap.  
  
Del-Mon was all ready pacing the interior of the chamber they had landed in as Aro-Ken got to his feet.  
  
"What are you doing, Master?" he asked, noticing Del-Mon was pacing the interior of the room, examining the walls. His lightsaber was activated, and it cast a faint green glow about the small room.  
  
"There must be another way out of here. Others have been down the chute before us, it is dented and there is dirt in it. There aren't any bones in here, so they must have gotten out somehow," Del-Mon said without looking away from the wall.  
  
Aro-Ken joined his master in his search. They looked at every inch of the walls.  
  
"Over here!" Del-Mon suddenly called.  
  
Aro-Ken was at his side in an instant, and just barely saw the hairline crack in the wall that his master was pointing at.  
  
"How do we get out?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
"Like this," Del-Mon simply said.  
  
He brought his lightsaber down over his head, and it began to cut through the metal easily.  
  
Aro-Ken joined. Shortly after, they had made a narrow hole. Aro-Ken slipped through, and Del-Mon followed him.  
  
"There is no one ahead. Come," said Del-Mon, darting down the long hallway they found themselves in.  
  
Aro-Ken ran after him. Del-Mon switched off his lightsaber, and Aro-Ken did the same.  
  
As they suddenly rounded the corner, Del-Mon halted abruptly, and Aro-Ken skidded forward on his heels.  
  
They found themselves at a huge room, the air thick with the smell of smoke and ale. There were several long tables, and men crowded around them shouting and laughing.  
  
All of the sudden, Aro-Ken gave a quick cry and crumpled to the ground next to Del-Mon. He immediately saw that the boy was unconscious  
  
The Jedi turned around, finding a very large man behind them. In his hand he held a thick metal pole.  
  
Del-Mon's eyebrows rose and his hand flashed for his lightsaber. He was too slow. As he had turned around, another man had snuck up behind him and grabbed his arms and held them behind his back. The stronger man held him up in the air.  
  
Del-Mon struggled, but it was no use against the burly man.  
  
"Looks like we found a few Atheist spies!" cried one man.  
  
"The Prime Minister must be alerted!" cried a voice.  
  
"Of course," said the man with the pole. He turned away, and then abruptly spun back around, slamming the pole into Del-Mon's head.  
  
The man who was holding Del-Mon dropped him, and the world was completely black before he hit the ground.  
  
*****  
  
Well, what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'm a review freak, I'll read anything! 


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
AN: Thanks for your review, Flaming Dragon! I agree, Episode II was great!!! I personally think Obi is really hot even with the beard.  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
"Prime Minister Darmick, why haven't the Jedi arrived yet?" asked Queen Leckura.  
  
Leckura was not an old woman. She was still very pretty for her age. Her hazel eyes were soft, and her golden blond hair hung freely down to her waist.  
  
"They have not arrived yet? I was not aware of such a thing! I shall immediately check with the border patrol!" cried Prime Minister Darmick as he sat before the king and queen of Crixxin. Darmick looked older that he really was. He had short, dark grey with streaks of black in it. His cold silver eyes seemed to be able to pry deep into your mind.  
  
Next to the Prime Minister stood a woman, his assistant. She was not that old, probably in her forties. She had midnight black hair, and bright blue eyes that contrasted it completely.  
  
"Now, now, let's not jump to conclusions. Perhaps the customs officers were busy," said King Anjos. Anjos was a very tall, strong man, but for such height and strength he was surprisingly agile and graceful. He had dark red hair and a short beard, which looked good with his deep green eyes.  
  
The Prime Minister seated before the two rulers pulled out a comlink and said a few words into it.  
  
"My officer at the gate tells me that two men fitting the description of the Jedi arrived at the gates earlier, but they had no passcards," the Prime Minister curiously said.  
  
"No passcards? I instructed you to be sure they got some!" Anjos cried.  
  
"I assure you, My Lord, I did! I personally saw to it that my officer got them to the Jedi Temple!" Darmick cried in defense.  
  
"Now, Anjos, I am sure the error was not Darmick's. The officer probably sent them late," Leckura said, trying to calm her husband.  
  
"They better have! I want peace on my planet! I will not see my people killing each other for the rest of my ruling time!" Anjos shouted, rising.  
  
"My Lord, I assure you I will look into the matter immediately," said Darmick. He respectively bowed to both the king and queen before spinning around, his robes billowing about him. Nati followed him, and they took off at a quick pace out of the throne room.  
  
If there had been anyone watching both this conversation and the one the two Jedi had at the gate just a few hours earlier, they would have recognized the woman immediately. Nati was the one who had not allowed Aro- Ken and Del-Mon to pass through the gates to the city.  
  
Prime Minister Darmick stalked down the winding corridors of the elaborate palace. It was probably the only building in the whole city of Crixx that hadn't been bombed out and destroyed as had happened to the other architectural wonders of the city.  
  
Prime Minister Darmick had to admit his life was good. Servants waited on him hand and foot, he controlled all religious ceremonies of Crixxin, and he was the fourth most powerful person on the entire planet, after the king and queen and their son Talno.  
  
He had been personally seeing to it for years that Atheists be executed and killed behind the king and queen's backs. If they asked why, he'd simply tell them his men had carried it out without an order or they had died in prison.  
  
He had great influence over the rulers. He would often present an idea to them that he said had been sent to him from the gods themselves, and it would displease the gods if he did not carry it out. It usually worked.  
  
"Where to, Prime Minister?" asked Nati.  
  
"To the barracks of course. We must see to the two Jedi. Or should I say the 'Atheist spies?'" he asked with a malicious smile.  
  
Nati returned the smile. "And how are you going to dispose of these ones?"  
  
"It has been a while since Gripfang has gotten a good meal. And it will amuse the troops," said Darmick.  
  
"Ah, indeed you are right," said Nati with a nod.  
  
Darmick stopped in the middle of the corridor. He looked back and forth to be sure he was not being observed by any prying eyes.  
  
Satisfied that the corridor was deserted, he reached his fingers beneath the windowsill nearest to him, and pressed down a hidden button that was there. Instantly the wall before him slid open.  
  
As soon as he and Nati were within, it silently closed. Darmick knew his secret door would not be discovered. Two stone pillars carved into the wall hid the edges when it was closed, and it looked like any other wall in the palace.  
  
The corridor he stood in was lit with dim glowpanels. The corridor itself was stone, dull white stone. It formed a staircase, leading down.  
  
Without hesitation, Darmick headed down it. He got to the bottom, and found himself looking at another door, this one with a required retinal scan to enter. Only Darmick and Nati could enter through this door.  
  
After Darmick had allowed the machine to scan his retina, the door slid open, and he and Nati entered the room.  
  
"Where are the spies?" he immediately asked.  
  
The huge company of men in the room turned to look at him.  
  
"They are in detention cells, Honorable Prime Minister," said one of the captains of Darmick's private army.  
  
"Excellent. Bring them before me. They shall face the Gripfang immediately," Darmick said, giving the soldier the same malicious grin.  
  
Nodding, the soldier immediately turned away, off to fetch the "spies."  
  
"Come, to my private box. We can watch from there," said the Prime Minister.  
  
"Why can't we watch from the ground?" asked Nati.  
  
"Should the Jedi escape, they will tell everyone in Crixx that the Prime Minister is executing Atheists by the ton. We must be sure they do not see us," said Darmick.  
  
Nati nodded as she followed him.  
  
Darmick chuckled as he walked, knowing the Gripfang would receive two more meals before the day was out.  
  
*****  
  
I planned to get this chapter up sooner, but I got an eye injury two days ago and the doctor said no computer or TV or reading for 24 hours. I'm still trying to figure out how I survived. To make up for it, I've posted chapter 3 as well.  
  
So did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews! 


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars! I wish I did, but that's not the point.  
  
*****  
  
Light slowly began to flood into Aro-Ken's vision. He moaned and rolled over. He could feel the back of his head throbbing, and tried to use the Force to ignore it. He could feel dried blood on his forehead from his fall down the chute, and he still had some small cuts and bruises.  
  
The young Jedi pulled himself up into a sitting position and looked around, using the Force to reach out.  
  
The cell he was in wasn't very large. It was all durasteel. Aro-Ken found himself sitting on a black surface, and there was hardly enough room for him to stretch out completely. There was not much room in front of it to walk around.  
  
As he shakily rose, Aro-Ken realized he still had his lightsaber clipped to his belt. They must not have seen it.  
  
He unclipped it and was about to activate it to cut through the door, when it suddenly slid open. Instantly he put the lightsaber back on his belt, hoping the two guards who entered hadn't seen it.  
  
"Huh! I'll bet you fifty credits this one won't last more than two minutes with Gripfang!" one chuckled upon seeing Aro-Ken.  
  
"I'll take that bet," the other one said.  
  
Both surly guards pointed their blaster rifles menacingly at him, and Aro- Ken tried his best to look scared although he wasn't really worried about them at all.  
  
They led him out of the cell and down a long hallway. The hallway walls had doors to what he assumed were more cells about a meter apart from each other. From what Aro-Ken could sense, they all had occupants.  
  
They finally turned out of the hallway and went down a winding maze of corridors. Aro-Ken lost track of the direction they had come in.  
  
The two guards stopped in front of a large door. One of them pressed his hand to the small screen on the wall, and the door slowly opened, creaking on old and rusty hinges.  
  
One of the guards roughly hit Aro-Ken between the shoulder blades with the butt of his blaster rifle, and he stumbled forward, managing to stay on his feet.  
  
He found himself in a room similar to the one he and Del-Mon had entered previously. There were men all about, drinking and smoking, yelling and laughing. Upon seeing Aro-Ken, they began cheering. "Another meal for the Gripfang!" "Call the Prime Minister!" "Tell Captain Sorro!" "Hurry! This will be good!"  
  
Aro-Ken was shoved over to a large, elaborate throne. The man seated in it had hazel eyes and no hair. His forehead was tall, and he had a rather pointy nose. He was dressed in the manor of a military man. He looked at Aro-Ken for a moment.  
  
"Where is the other?" he asked.  
  
"He is being brought here as we speak," one of the guards said.  
  
"Good. I wish for him to see his young friend die," said the man.  
  
As though on cue, a struggling Del-Mon was suddenly pulled through the door.  
  
When the two guards who held his arms arrived at the throne, they shoved him to the ground.  
  
Instantly he was up. Aro-Ken noticed that his master's hands were bound behind his back.  
  
"Ah, both are here. Wonderful. The Gripfang is getting restless, as are my troops. I hope you will both enjoy your last few minutes alive," said the man in the throne, whom the two Jedi assumed was Captain Sorro.  
  
Aro-Ken looked to his master, who gave no indication of what he should do. Was he aware that Aro-Ken still had his lightsaber? He could tell Del-Mon was thinking, but had no idea what his thoughts were.  
  
Suddenly, he looked the captain straight in the eye. "Captain, we are Jedi. We have been sent to meet with the king and queen. Let us go," he calmly said.  
  
"Ha ha ha! I am not weak-minded, you cannot fool me. All Atheists must die!" he cried.  
  
Instantly Captain Sorro slammed down a hand on his armrest, pressing a button that Aro-Ken had just noticed.  
  
There was a whirring sound behind him, and Aro-Ken spun around. He saw that the floor was opening up. Below was a tank with a thick looking, yellow- brown liquid in it.  
  
"The Gripfang will eat tonight! Put the boy in first!" cried Captain Sorro.  
  
Instantly, the guard shoved Aro-Ken roughly in the chest. He stumbled backwards, waving his arms for balance, and then fell into the large tank, taking a breath at the last minute.  
  
"No!" he heard Del-Mon cry.  
  
Aro-Ken hit whatever the liquid was, and found he floated in it, as though it were water. As he neared the surface, he suddenly saw a glass top come over the top of tank. There was no way he could get up to breathe.  
  
Unable to hold his breath any longer, Aro-Ken let it out, and then inhaled.  
  
Inhaled? He suddenly realized that whatever this liquid was, he could breathe in it. He held his hand in front of him in amazement, and saw that two or three centimeters around him was dry. The liquid did not touch his skin. Instead it was suspended away from him.  
  
Aro-Ken looked around. The liquid was thick and yellowish-brown. It was hard to see very far ahead. As he squinted, he saw a large black shape on his right.  
  
He tried to turn around, but the liquid made the tank seem to have no gravity. He spun too far and wound up facing the same direction he had been facing earlier.  
  
He could sense something behind him. This time as he spun he used the Force to stop himself before he went too far.  
  
Aro-Ken saw, looming in front of him, the largest creature he had ever laid eyes on. He wasn't quite sure what it was. It was very long, like an eel, only much, much longer and thicker. It had scales, but Aro-Ken couldn't tell what color they were in the lighting. The cranial range of its body was shaped like that of a dewback. Its flat mouth was open, exposing four or five rows of sharp teeth. Each tooth was probably about the size of Aro- Ken's hand. He assumed it was the Gripfang, and now saw why the soldiers had been betting on it to eat him in under two minutes.  
  
As the Gripfang loomed closer to him, Aro-Ken quickly dove out of the way. He kicked and stroked as hard as he could, fighting to find a way out of the tank.  
  
He suddenly bumped into the transparisteel wall. Looking out, he could see the guards gathered around it, laughing and passing credits to one another. Near the back of the huge crowd, he saw Del-Mon with a pained, longing look on his face. He knew his master would break the tank in a second if he had the chance, or jump in himself if two muscular guards weren't firmly holding his arms.  
  
Using the wall to turn himself, Aro-Ken saw Gripfang coming towards him, and he frantically pushed off the wall with his feet. He dove and went under the strange beast, and could feel the liquid rippling as it snapped at him.  
  
Aro-Ken twisted and wove about the tank, allowing Gripfang to chase after him. But he was too swift for the creature to grab him.  
  
Occasionally, Gripfang's teeth would graze him, but Aro-Ken ignored the small cuts and rips in his tunic.  
  
Finally, Aro-Ken had to stop and rest. He got over to the side of the tank. He was sweating, and his muscles were starting to burn.  
  
Suddenly, Gripfang appeared. He'd hoped the huge animal hadn't seen him.  
  
Aro-Ken looked frantically back and forth, but found that Gripfang had him trapped.  
  
The young boy suddenly remembered his lightsaber. His hand went for his belt, but the lightsaber was not there! It must have fallen off as he had tried to evade Gripfang.  
  
As Gripfang loomed nearer, his huge mouth open, Aro-Ken lifted his feet and kicked out, hitting Gripfang's snout. Caught off guard by the move, Gripfang froze for an instant, but that was all Aro-Ken needed.  
  
He dove, going down, down, down, until his head brushed the bottom of the tank. His ears popped a few times from the sudden pressure change, but he ignored it.  
  
Frantically, he scanned the bottom of the tank, looking for his lightsaber. But instead of the lightsaber, he saw bones. Dozens of them, the remnants of Gripfang's past meals.  
  
He drew in a sharp breath, and suddenly sensed Gripfang coming up from behind him.  
  
Aro-Ken looked harder, and made sure he kept swimming. If he held still, he was done for.  
  
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a gleaming metal. The lightsaber!  
  
Swimming and kicking as hard as he could he reached out for it.  
  
Searing pain suddenly erupted in his lower leg. He cried out and looked back, and saw Gripfang had seized his leg in his teeth.  
  
"Aah!" Aro-Ken shouted as he tried to shake and twist his leg free, but it was no use.  
  
Aro-Ken looked back to his lightsaber, reaching out as far as he could, but still couldn't reach it. It was less than a hand's width away from him.  
  
He stretched, his fingers reaching out. Even though he knew he couldn't grab it, he kept his hand out. Aro-Ken suddenly imagined the lightsaber jumping into his hand, seeing it perfectly in his mind.  
  
As he opened his eyes, his vision blurry with pain, he saw that his lightsaber was beginning to twitch.  
  
Amazed, he kept trying, just reaching out and pushing it with the Force, trying to shove the blinding pain in his leg from his mind.  
  
Finally, it sprang into his hand. Aro-Ken instantly jammed his thumb on the ignite button, and slashed at Gripfang's face and mouth with the bright blue blade.  
  
Surprised, Gripfang released its prey, and Aro-Ken kicked away, pumping his legs like he never had before. He noticed his injured leg left a trail of blood in the liquid.  
  
He found the nearest wall and pressed his back against it, holding his lightsaber. With its light, he could see slightly farther into the liquid. He slashed at the transparisteel a few times, but found the lightsaber wasn't strong enough to break it.  
  
Gripfang was very mad now. Aro-Ken didn't need the Force to see that. The enraged creature came for him, but Aro-Ken met him with a barrage of furious swings and thrusts. Gripfang suddenly turned away as Aro-Ken attacked.  
  
What was it doing? Was it giving up? Aro-Ken curiously watched it.  
  
Without warning, Gripfang whirled around, and its thick lower body slammed into Aro-Ken's chest, setting him spinning head over heels.  
  
He struggled to straighten himself out. Each time he spun around, he saw Gripfang coming closer and closer.  
  
Once again, the huge mouth opened. Aro-Ken abruptly stuck out a foot, and it hit the wall, stopping him.  
  
Instinctively, without thinking, Aro-Ken pushed up with his blade, and discovered he had jammed it into the roof of Gripfang's enormous mouth.  
  
Gripfang writhed and struggling about, trying to lash Aro-Ken with its tail again. It swung the young Jedi back and forth as he clung desperately to his lightsaber.  
  
Aro-Ken managed to pull his lightsaber out of Gripfang's flesh, and kicked away.  
  
Gripfang didn't give up. It came towards him again, and Aro-Ken spun, twisted, and flipped to avoid the teeth, occasionally slashing the serpent's face.  
  
This time, Aro-Ken purposely aimed for Gripfang's eyes, trying to blind it. From the looks of things, his strategy was working.  
  
Then, in a completely unexpected movement, Aro-Ken saw Gripfang's head shoot downward as it thrashed about. Aro-Ken didn't have time to move, and Gripfang's jawbone clipped his head.  
  
He found himself drifting downwards, and then found himself underneath Gripfang.  
  
Quickly, without bothering to stop himself from spinning, he slashed madly at Gripfang's underside, assuming this was where the beast's vital organs would be.  
  
Gripfang's yellow-green blood spilled into the liquid, mixing with its dark yellow and the red of Aro-Ken's own blood.  
  
The Gripfang suddenly stopped moving, except for a few involuntary twitches. Quickly getting out of the way, Aro-Ken watched with grim satisfaction as Gripfang's body drifted to the bottom of the tank, landing heavily on the many bones.  
  
Aro-Ken sighed in relief, and turned off his lightsaber, clipping it on his belt.  
  
From outside, he could now hear outraged bellows and curses.  
  
Slowly the liquid of the tank began to drain, and Aro-Ken discovered he was upside down.  
  
As his feet suddenly hit solid ground and he was forced to stand, his left leg crumpled and he fell against the side of the tank. He leaned there, trying to get his breath back. One of the other tank walls was suddenly pulled away, and a flood of angry guards rushed in.  
  
Two of them seized his arms and bound them behind his back, and then hauled him away.  
  
They threw him to the ground in front of the captain, and he stayed on his knees.  
  
"You have killed my pet. I must admit I am impressed," Captain Sorro said with an amused smile.  
  
Aro-Ken smiled and sighed in relief.  
  
"Kill them both."  
  
Aro-Ken's eyes suddenly went wide as the two guards seized him again.  
  
"No! Aro-Ken!" he heard Del-Mon's voice ring out from the other side of the huge room.  
  
Aro-Ken turned, and saw his master was being dragged away, out a door opposite the one the guards were dragging Aro-Ken towards.  
  
"Master!" he shouted. He struggled to turn around, but the guards struck him, and he quickly gave up.  
  
So this was how he was to die. He wasn't even a Jedi.  
  
Aro-Ken dejectedly limped in front of the guards, the leg Gripfang had seized hurt too much to put a lot of weight on it.  
  
The guards stopped at a door, and shoved Aro-Ken into the room within. He put his hands on the wall to stop.  
  
Almost instantly, he heard blaster rifles being drawn and loaded.  
  
He looked to the door. There was no way to get there quickly enough without them seeing him or getting shot.  
  
Aro-Ken stood there, straight as he could. He didn't say a word. He was going to die as honorably as he could.  
  
The three guards stood up with grins on their faces, aiming for him.  
  
Aro-Ken closed his eyes.  
  
All three rifles fired simultaneously. He felt one hit his side, another embedded itself deep in his arm, and the third grazed the side of his head. They forced him back against the wall.  
  
With a small cry, he slumped to the ground.  
  
"Come on, let's dump his body on the transport for Jadda before the dancing girls get here," one of the guards said as he approached Aro-Ken.  
  
That was all Aro-Ken heard before his world was enveloped with darkness.  
  
*****  
  
What did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, whatever! I'm a review freak, I'll read anything! 


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
  
"Kill them both."  
  
Captain Sorro's words rang out over the crowd.  
  
Anguish filled Del-Mon. He knew the hopelessness of his situation. There was great chance he would never see his Padawan again.  
  
Two guards grabbed his arms and pulled him away.  
  
Del-Mon couldn't contain the cry, and he called his Padawan's name.  
  
Aro-Ken tried to fight away from his holders, but it was no use. "Master!" he shouted.  
  
The master and apprentice were dragged away from each other.  
  
Del-Mon was forced down a corridor and to an empty metal room. The guards began to load their weapons.  
  
The Jedi's mind was racing. As he leaned his back against the wall, he suddenly felt his lightsaber pressing against his back. Some how it had gotten shifted.  
  
He heard a guard curse as he fumbled with his weapon. It would take them a while to fix it.  
  
Del-Mon slowly parted his Jedi robes, and felt his lightsaber. He brought his wrists as far apart as he could, hoping the lightsaber wasn't too close to his body.  
  
Slowly, taking a last deep breath, he jammed the ignite button, and there was a snap-hiss sound. Del-Mon could feel the heat of the blade as it shot neatly between his wrists, severing the bonds.  
  
The guards looked up, and Del-Mon instantly had his lightsaber in his hands. He charged at the guards, slicing their weapons in half immediately. The scorching, melted metal fell to the ground.  
  
The guards' eyes went wide, and they backed away from him in terror, shrinking against the walls.  
  
"I'm not going to kill you," the Jedi said.  
  
The three guards sighed in relief.  
  
"I will, however, if you fail to cooperate with me," Del-Mon said in a warning tone.  
  
They nodded.  
  
"You're going to take me to where ever my apprentice is, and tell them Captain Sorro changed his mind about killing us. Right?" Del-Mon asked, menacingly holding the lightsaber closer to their throats.  
  
Again the three nodded.  
  
"Good. Let's go," Del-Mon instructed.  
  
Instantly the three guards rose and began to escort Del-Mon from the room and down the hallways once more.  
  
They arrived at the other execution chambers, and Del-Mon instructed the guards to let him in to each one.  
  
Each room proved fruitless. They were all empty, save Del-Mon as he bolted into them.  
  
"If he's not here, then where else would he be?" the Jedi demanded.  
  
"O-On one of th-the corpse transports… To Jadda," stammered one of the guards as Del-Mon held the green blade next to his face.  
  
"Take me to the hangar immediately," he ordered.  
  
The guard he spoke to nodded rigidly, and immediately proceeded to lead the way.  
  
As they arrived at the hangar, the guard opened the door, and Del-Mon entered immediately.  
  
Looking around, he saw a ship, a single transport, hovering in the air, going towards the exit portal.  
  
"No!" shouted Del-Mon. He turned to the guard, lightsaber ready. "Where is that transport-"  
  
Before he could finish his question, a siren began to blare, and red lights flashed. One of the guards had hit the alarm button!  
  
All three of them began to advance on the Jedi.  
  
Del-Mon quickly considered his options, and then turned and ran.  
  
As fast as he could, he got out the hangar door, and used the controls to jam it. From within he heard the three guards angrily pounding on it.  
  
In the hallway, there were flashing red lights too. Del-Mon looked back and forth, deciding his options. He could hear footsteps coming towards him from the left, and nothing to the right. He instantly ran down the right hand corridor.  
  
Del-Mon stopped running when he sensed he was far enough from the search party. He now cautiously crept down the halls, using the Force to try and find a way out.  
  
Suddenly, as he rounded a corner, he found himself faced with a wall.  
  
Del-Mon turned to go back the other way, but there were more people coming.  
  
"There he is! Fire!" a voice rang out.  
  
Instantly, blaster fire and smoke filled the air. Del-Mon whirled about, swinging his lightsaber expertly and deflecting every bolt that he did not evade.  
  
As he spun about, he found himself on the side of the hall opposite the one he had been on before. He suddenly felt his foot sink as he put it down to pivot again. The carved pillar behind him began to swing aside.  
  
Del-Mon looked at it out of the corner of his eye, and then quickly darted into the opening that it had produced.  
  
The pillar swung back in place from behind him.  
  
The Jedi found himself in a large banquet hall. Cobwebs were entwining the chairs and the long table. Behind him, he saw the pillar/door had a knob facing him. Instantly, he seized one of the old chairs and propped it between the doorknob and the floor, preventing anyone else from entering.  
  
Del-Mon quickly ran to the other side of the hall, and found two doors. He went to the one on the right, and heard no one on the other side. Looking around, he brushed his hand against a large clump of dust, and found some ancient door controls. He pressed a few random buttons, but nothing happened.  
  
Calmly, Del-Mon swung his lightsaber at the door, and it sliced into the durasteel easily.  
  
When the gap was just large enough for him to fit through, Del-Mon turned off his lightsaber and stepped out of the room.  
  
He was now in an old stone corridor that looked ready to cave in. It was held up by wooden support posts that appeared to be rotting.  
  
He hurried to get out of the corridor. The old architecture made him very uneasy. The green glow of his lightsaber kept him on his feet, as there were sharp bumps and abrupt yet small drops in the path.  
  
Finally, he wound up at a dead end.  
  
Holding his lightsaber close to his face, Del-Mon leaned forwards and examined the wall. He found it was not a wall at all, but some object outside that was blocking the tunnel exit.  
  
He put his shoulder against it, pushing with all his might, using the Force to help him.  
  
Finally, whatever the heavy object was had moved aside, flooding the room with light. Del-Mon blinked, his eyes reacting to the change of light.  
  
He deactivated his lightsaber, and stepped out of the tunnel, ready to face whatever dangers lay ahead.  
  
*****  
  
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews! 


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
AN: Thanks for reviewing, Anorithil!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
"He escaped?!" Prime Minister Darmick demanded.  
  
"Yes, Sir, the older Jedi evaded my troops," Captain Sorro said.  
  
"What of the other one? The one that killed the Gripfang," asked Darmick.  
  
"He is dead. His corpse is being shipped to Jadda as we speak," said Sorro.  
  
"Good. At least you did one thing right. Do not tell another soul of the Jedi with the exception of your own men," the Prime Minister ordered.  
  
"Yes, Sir. What about the one that escaped?" asked Sorro.  
  
"Find him immediately. Tear this city to pieces if you need to, but find that Jedi! We cannot allow him to meet with the monarchs and the Atheist leader or the Crixxian religion will be destroyed!" Darmick cried.  
  
"Of course Sir. I will personally see to it myself," Sorro said.  
  
"Good. Do not fail me, Captain Sorro. I do not think the gods will be as gracious as I have been," Darmick threateningly said, switching off his comlink.  
  
Darmick was furious, but he did a very good job of not letting it show.  
  
He glanced at his chronometer. It was time for his daily meeting with the king and queen.  
  
"Come, Nati," he said.  
  
She obediently followed him down the hallway, and they entered the throne room of the palace.  
  
To his surprise, Darmick found not only King Anjos and Queen Leckura, but also their son Talno. Talno was a tall boy of nineteen who had his father's flaming hair and his mother's soft brown eyes. Usually he was busy with his tutor or training to become a soldier to fight for the Crixxian cause during Darmick's meetings with the royal family.  
  
"Is there any news of the Jedi?" Queen Leckura hopefully asked.  
  
"No, My Lady, I am sorry," Darmick said, doing a very good job of pretending to sound concerned.  
  
"I expected just as much. Is there anything we should be informed of that pertains to the battles outside the palace walls?" asked Anjos.  
  
"Well, two Atheist spies were executed in the barracks," Darmick offered.  
  
"Executed? Why was I not informed of this?" demanded King Anjos.  
  
"I was not informed of it either, My Lord," Darmick lied. "I was just told before I came here. There was a man and a boy."  
  
"Prime Minister, did they have anything unusual?" asked Queen Leckura.  
  
"Hmm… Some of the guards told me they had lightsabers," said the Prime Minister.  
  
The queen gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth.  
  
"Prime Minister, your men executed the two Jedi sent to help us resolve this conflict!" cried Queen Leckura.  
  
"Oh, my goodness! I fear you are right, You Highness!" cried Prime Minister Darmick, feigning surprise.  
  
"Prime Minister, I have seen incompetence before, but never like this!" King Anjos shouted.  
  
"My Lord, I was not informed of the executions until a few minutes ago! I assure you, I had no idea!" Darmick cried in defense.  
  
"Since you have never done anything so incredibly imbecilic in your years serving as Prime Minister, I shall believe you when you say that you were not involved in this. But you had better punish whoever was," snapped King Anjos.  
  
"Of course, Your Majesty! I promise you, heads will roll when I am through with the ones who did this atrocious act!" the Prime Minister said, still lying.  
  
"Good. If Prince Talno has nothing to add, you are dismissed," said King Anjos.  
  
Nati and Darmick turned to walk away, but heard Talno's voice behind them.  
  
"Actually, Father, I do," he said.  
  
Darmick stopped and turned back around. It was seldom that the prince said anything even when he was present.  
  
"Proceed, Talno," King Anjos bade his son.  
  
"The squadron that I am part of is eager to kill Atheists, they tell me. The rest of the troops feel the same. If you would simply allow us, we could exterminate every Atheist on this planet," said Talno.  
  
"No, my son. Not yet. I will not let you progress this war any more than it all ready has been," Anjos said.  
  
"But Father, can't you see this is for the good of the planet?" asked Talno.  
  
"No, Talno. This will only destroy our beautiful Crixxin more," Anjos firmly said.  
  
"Father, we have been getting extensive reports of those filthy Atheists revolting in other cites. Varil, Rimma, and Delbron alone have had more than twenty in the past month. We have the power and the numbers to easily wipe them all out," Talno argued.  
  
Darmick had to admit that for such a brat, the prince could occasionally put up a good fight even if he had no hope of winning it.  
  
"I will not allow this situation to get any more bloody than it all ready is," Anjos firmly said.  
  
Talno opened his mouth to say more, but the king abruptly cut him off. "Not another word on the subject. The answer is no."  
  
"Your Majesty, the prince has a good point. I am sure the gods would wish for us to dispose of all Atheists," said the Prime Minister.  
  
"I am sure they would. But I do not. There has been enough suffering," Anjos said.  
  
As Darmick began to speak, King Anjos raised his hand. "No. I have spoken. You are dismissed."  
  
Darmick gave a shallow bow. Angrily, he spun around on his heel and stormed from the room, his robes swirling behind him. Nati quickly followed.  
  
As soon as they were out of hearing range of the throne room, Darmick began to speak once more. "The prince is growing bolder. This is good. Next to myself and the king, he has the most control over the royal army, and he is siding with me on the Atheist problem."  
  
"Yes. I am sure you can find some way to use his power to your advantage," Nati agreed.  
  
"I all ready have. I simply need a time to strike. Then every Atheist on this planet will suffer, including the king and queen," Darmick coldly said.  
  
*****  
  
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews! 


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER SIX  
  
Del-Mon found himself in an old building. It was made of crumbling stone, and dust covered the bricks. Cobwebs were strewn about the corners. There was no furniture. Del-Mon assumed the building had been looted long before he got there. He turned, and saw that the thing that had been blocking the exit to the tunnel was a large databoard.  
  
After looking around a moment longer, satisfied that there was no one in the building, Del-Mon pried the door open, as the controls were broken.  
  
He stepped outside into an alley. It was dark and damp, filled with old trash receptacles and discarded items of no value. The buildings on either side were deteriorating.  
  
Del-Mon quickly turned and walked out onto the streets.  
  
He noticed right away that the streets were only about half full. Some people were still nervous about Atheist and Crixxian attacks.  
  
Most of the buildings had marks and indents from blaster fire. A few looked like they had been bombed out. The vendors and shops were crowded, most people wanting to get supplies incase of a shortage because of the religious war that had been plaguing Crixxin for years.  
  
Del-Mon made sure he kept his lightsaber hidden as he started to explore the streets of Crixx. He could see laser signs at the corners. They said nothing of the street names, but instead the buildings in that direction. Del-Mon was sure at least half of the buildings listed no longer existed.  
  
He suddenly noticed one that read, "Royal Palace," and started walking in the direction it pointed.  
  
As he wandered the desolate streets of the once flourishing city, he was suddenly aware of someone following him.  
  
He stopped at a corner, pretending to read one of the laser signs. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small band of five men, wearing battle armor bearing the Crixxian insignia. As the people around the Jedi noticed the men, they quickly and nervously began to get off the streets.  
  
Del-Mon continued, knowing he could not lose them in such a thin crowd. He picked up his pace slightly and darted into an alley.  
  
He then realized that the alley he was in was a dead end. There was a large plastisteel wall in front of him. He could have hit himself for not reaching out with the Force before he'd made the choice.  
  
With his acute hearing, Del-Mon suddenly heard them drawing weapons.  
  
Instantly, the Jedi whirled around, his lightsaber drawn and activated. He easily deflected the laser bolts, spinning and ducking swiftly the avoid those that he missed.  
  
Del-Mon suddenly realized that as he continued to battle, more guards were coming, firing at him.  
  
The Jedi felt himself growing tired. He knew he couldn't keep deflecting bolts like this, but there was no other way out of the alley.  
  
Just as a laser grazed his shoulder, he spotted something black fly over his head towards the guards. It hit the ground, and bounced a few times.  
  
Del-Mon instantly realized it was a grenade. He noticed a large receptacle to his left, and ducked behind it.  
  
There was a deafening explosion, and debris flew past him.  
  
As the dust began to settle, Del-Mon stood up and cautiously looked back and forth.  
  
"Back here, Outlander," said a voice.  
  
Curiously, Del-Mon turned around. He saw a group of three people, two men and a woman, perched atop the huge wall. They were all slightly underweight, and looked ready for anything.  
  
The man who had spoken jumped down from the tall wall and landed harmlessly on his feet. His two accomplices followed, but they did not perform the task as easily and gracefully as their leader.  
  
As they approached him, Del-Mon could sense determination and anger.  
  
The woman had long black hair and dark eyes, and her companion was a young man, probably about nineteen or twenty years old. For such a young age, he looked very strong. He had blond hair that was slicked back and clear blue eyes.  
  
"Since you were attacked by the guards, I am assuming you are not Crixxian," said one of the men.  
  
"You have assumed correctly," Del-Mon nodded.  
  
"Are you an Atheist then?" asked the man. He had one wild green eye, the other was covered by a black patch. His hair was brown and scraggly, and there was stubble growing around his mouth.  
  
"No," Del-Mon simply replied.  
  
"Then what side are you on? You have to be on one side or the other," said the man.  
  
"I am neutral," Del-Mon calmly told the man.  
  
"Neutral? How can you be on Crixxin and be neutral?" the man inquired.  
  
"I am not native to this world. I have been sent on a diplomatic mission to try and stop the conflict," explained Del-Mon.  
  
"Huh. That's not going to happen any time soon. Those Crixxian devils keep attacking us," commented the man. He turned to his two partners. "Search for their weapons. See if any were not destroyed in the blast," he said to them.  
  
The two immediately opened up the backpacks they wore as they advanced to where the detonator had gone off.  
  
"Who are you?" Del-Mon asked.  
  
"I am Elias, leader of the Atheists. And you, O Neutral Sir?" he asked.  
  
"My name is Del-Mon Wesia. I am a Jedi," he said.  
  
"Yes, I figured that based on the way you used your weapon," Elias said.  
  
The woman suddenly came up to his side. "We got four blaster rifles and several of their reloading cartridges," she announced.  
  
"Good. We'd better get out of here before more authorities show up," Elias said.  
  
The other young man nodded. Del-Mon noticed that he was carrying most of the equipment.  
  
"Come with us. We can help you get to the palace," Elias said to Del-Mon.  
  
Wordlessly, Del-Mon followed his three mysterious saviors as they left the alleyway after checking for more guards.  
  
They walked along calmly, facing ahead and acting like nothing was out of the ordinary. All of the sudden, a voice cried out, "Hey! Aren't they Atheists?"  
  
"Act casual. Keep walking," Elias muttered as they slightly picked up their pace.  
  
"Hey, stop! You four, stop right there!" the voice yelled at them.  
  
"Run," Elias said.  
  
Instantly they took off, Del-Mon effortlessly following the other three.  
  
"Get back here! Planet Security! Stop right now!"  
  
"In here!" Elias called to Del-Mon after they had run a distance. He darted into an old building that looked like it had been bombed out, and Del-Mon followed.  
  
They bolted up several flights of crumbling stairs before emerging on the roof of the building.  
  
"Sari, you and Wid go first," Elias said.  
  
They could hear heavy footsteps coming up the stairs behind them. "Stop or I'll shoot!"  
  
"You got it, Elias," said the woman, who Del-Mon correctly assumed was Sari.  
  
Wid only nodded.  
  
They both grabbed two long poles near the edge of the building, and then ran. They got the end of their poles on the roof of the next structure and jumped, allowing the poles to carry them to the other side.  
  
"Our turn," Elias said, gesturing to the poles.  
  
Del-Mon grabbed one of the poles and instantly ran towards the edge of the building.  
  
The door to the rooftop burst open, and the officer that had been pursuing them came up.  
  
"Hold it right there!" he shouted.  
  
Blaster fire followed. The singing bolts flew by the group as they landed.  
  
"Bastard," Elias muttered, directing the comment back at the officer. "Quick, keep going!" he called ahead to Wid and Sari as he was in the air.  
  
Red singing bolts flew by them, missing them by fractions. Del-Mon could feel the heat from one as it narrowly missed his side.  
  
The Jedi hit the ground running, and easily vaulted to the next rooftop. They continued at a furious pace until the blaster shots and the roaring of the angry officer finally died down.  
  
Finally, they stopped and rested on an empty rooftop, Elias and Del-Mon next to each other, Wid keeping a vigilant watch, and Sari refreshing herself with some water from her pack.  
  
Del-Mon thought it a good time to start asking Elias some questions he had been wondering about.  
  
"Why did we just travel by rooftop? Don't you have another rout?"  
  
"Yes, we have plenty of alternative ways we could have taken, but we find travel much safer if we go by the rooftops. The authorities are constantly after us, so we stay off the ground if we can. And we weren't close enough to any other rout to have gone there instead," Elias explained.  
  
"Why are the police after you?" Del-Mon asked.  
  
"They assume that anyone who is an Atheist wants to kill Crixxians. They're wrong. They probably wouldn't come after us if it wasn't for Antigod," Elias said.  
  
"Antigod?" Del-Mon curiously asked.  
  
"They're Atheist extremists, a terrorist group. They think all Crixxians should die. They're responsible for lots of the bombed out buildings you'll see around here," Elias briefly explained.  
  
Del-Mon nodded. "What's wrong with Wid? Can he speak?" he asked, nodding in the young man's direction.  
  
"No. We're guessing he was captured by those Crixxian rats a few years ago. They tortured him when they found he was an Atheist. At least we're assuming that's why they had him captive. We've drawn up the conclusion that that's how he lost his voice. We were going to spring one of our people from the cells, and we discovered Wid. He was just a kid at the time, probably about fifteen, and we knew we couldn't just leave him there. We got him out, and he never left us. He couldn't tell us his name, so we just called him Wid," Elias said.  
  
Del-Mon nodded.  
  
Finally they proceeded their vaulting for quite a distance stopping when they landed on a rooftop in front of a building that had to be the tallest one in the city, short of the palace.  
  
"Can you make the jump to that window?" asked Elias, pointing to the window directly in front of them.  
  
Del-Mon nodded. He backed up, and took a running leap, using the Force to jump higher. He allowed himself to do a quick somersault in the air. He easily cleared the gap and went right through the window frame, neatly landing on his feet in the other room.  
  
He quickly stood aside, and watched as Elias, Sari, and Wid all followed him.  
  
"Very impressive, Jedi," Sari commented.  
  
"Thank you. Are all these buildings deserted?" asked Del-Mon.  
  
"Most of them. This one is where lots of people who lost their homes stay," Elias said.  
  
They filed down the narrow stairways, and came to the ground floor, Elias and Sari occasionally greeting some people they knew as they went by.  
  
They exited the building and went into the alley immediately to the left. There was a large boulder resting next to the building.  
  
"Wid, if you would," said Elias, gesturing to the boulder.  
  
Easily Wid put his weight against the boulder and shoved it aside.  
  
"Thank you. Guests first. Just wait at the bottom for us," Elias said, gesturing to the large, dark hole in the ground that Wid had uncovered.  
  
Del-Mon lowered himself into the hole, and his feet found the rungs of a ladder. He allowed himself to rapidly descend and jumped off at the last two rungs.  
  
Above him, he heard Sari and Elias coming down. When they were safely at the bottom, Wid came down, pulling the boulder back into place first.  
  
"This way," instructed Elias. Del-Mon could barely make out his figure in the dim light as his eyes adjusted.  
  
He followed them down a long, twisting, slimy tunnel. There was a pungent odor in the air. There were burning torches every few meters. Del-Mon was amazed at how primitive the lighting was.  
  
"Elias, where exactly are we?" asked Del-Mon.  
  
"The sewers," Elias called back to him. "We can go through the whole city with these routes, and no one suspects a thing."  
  
As they trudged through the ankle deep water, Elias suddenly called, "This way, Del-Mon."  
  
He saw Wid and Sari scrambling up another ladder. This one wasn't very tall. Del-Mon followed, and was happy to see that there was no more sewage water in the chambers he found himself in now.  
  
They were in a large dirt room. There were bright glowpanels illuminating it. Several people were currently in it, talking and laughing, most of them armed.  
  
All of the sudden, they all looked up and, several of them greeted Elias.  
  
"What took you, Elias?" "We started to get worried!" "Did you bring anything?"  
  
"We ran into some trouble with the Crixxians, but a grenade solved that. We got some blaster rifles and a bunch of reloading cartridges," said Elias.  
  
Suddenly, a woman was standing directly in front of Del-Mon, holding a vibroblade to his throat. She had very long brown hair and green eyes.  
  
"Who's this? Looks like a Crixxian spy to me," she sneered.  
  
"Danya, stop this foolishness! He's not a spy, he's a Jedi Knight!" cried Elias.  
  
"Are you sure? He looks like a spy," Danya suspiciously said.  
  
Del-Mon calmly stood his ground.  
  
Elias came forward and struck the weapon from her hand. "Are you deaf? I told you, this man is a Jedi Knight! He says he's neutral. If I catch you pull another little stunt like that, I'm not going to be very forgiving," he sternly lectured her.  
  
Danya grabbed her vibroblade from the floor, frowning like an angry child.  
  
"If you want to end this problem, Elias, I suggest you listen to me. We have the firepower and the numbers to wipe out the Crixxian religion once and for all. One day is all we need to triumph," Danya said.  
  
"Danya, I've told you this several times before. I will avoid more bloodshed at all costs. The weapons we have are for self-defense if someone is attacked on the streets, not for your own personal use. We will not attack the Crixxians unless they attack us first," Elias said.  
  
"Elias, this is what our father would have wanted," Danya said.  
  
So they were siblings. Del-Mon was wondering why they looked so similar.  
  
"No, Danya. Father would have wanted us to settle this peacefully, and he hated the Crixxians as much as you do," Elias confidently said.  
  
Danya glared at him and opened her mouth to say something, but Elias raised a hand and cut her off.  
  
"Danya, we will allow the Crixxians to attack us before we do anything. Until then, there will be no more deaths unless I say so. Come with me, Del- Mon. You can have something to eat and tell me what's been happening to you," said Elias, leading Del-Mon away before Danya had a chance to object further.  
  
About an hour later, Del-Mon had graciously eaten a meal and told Elias what had happened to him during his time on Crixxin.  
  
"Do you have any idea where my Padawan may be if he's alive?" asked Del- Mon.  
  
"From the sound of it, he's dead. But if he's not, he'll probably be on Jadda," Elias said.  
  
"Jadda?" Del-Mon inquired.  
  
"It's one of the moons of Crixxin. Probably one of the only moons in the universe with an atmosphere. It's where those rotten Crixxians dump the dead Atheists and exile petty criminals," Elias said.  
  
Del-Mon nodded, refusing to show his nervousness.  
  
"What of my task? I was instructed by the Council to speak with the king and queen, but I'll never be able to get into the palace. I seem to be a wanted man," he said.  
  
Elias thought a moment. "Well… I can't promise you anything, but we may be able to get you within the walls, but then you'll be on your own," he said.  
  
"I don't care. I must get inside the palace. Such a beautiful planet should not suffer like this," said Del-Mon.  
  
"All right. But first, it seems only fair that you help me with something," Elias said.  
  
"Like what? I have been specifically instructed by the Jedi Council that I am not to take sides in this war," Del-Mon said.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Sleep now. I will debrief you in the morning," Elias said. He got up and left the room, leaving Del-Mon to meditate and further assess his grave situation.  
  
*****  
  
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews! 


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
YAAAAY!!! THE SITE FINALLY WORKS AGAIN!!! WAHOOO!!!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
Voices were speaking. "Go get some more herbs." "I'll need some salve." "Narko, be a dear and fetch your mother some water." They flooded around him.  
  
He could sense happiness, and some nervousness around him. There was not a trace of despair or anger.  
  
Pain still clouded his thoughts. He had a dim recollection of what had happened.  
  
Was he dead? It sure didn't sound like it.  
  
He could feel something cool on his side. It dulled the pain a little. He could still feel his arm, leg, and head throbbing with pain, and his assorted small cuts and bruises stung a little.  
  
Finally, Aro-Ken opened his eyes.  
  
He saw three women tending to his wounds, bandaging them and pressing herbs to them.  
  
"He's awake!" one of them suddenly said.  
  
"How do you feel?" asked another.  
  
"Where am I?" asked Aro-Ken.  
  
"You are in Wellmir. Some of the men found you in the Dead Site, but you were alive," one of the women said.  
  
"The Dead Site?" Aro-Ken weakly asked.  
  
"It is where they leave dead people," said another one of the women.  
  
Slowly, his memories began to come back to him.  
  
"Where is Wellmir?" he asked.  
  
"It is on Jadda."  
  
"Where's Jadda?"  
  
"It is the moon of Crixxin."  
  
"How did I get here?"  
  
"You were brought by the ship."  
  
Aro-Ken suddenly remembered everything. His mission on Crixxin, the fight with Gripfang, and Del-Mon. What had happened to his master?  
  
"I need to get off this moon!" cried Aro-Ken, starting to sit up.  
  
"No, no, you are too weak! You must stay here until you get your strength back," said one of the women. She gently placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down.  
  
"I was on a very important mission on Crixxin, I must return to the planet!" he insisted.  
  
"Rest first," said the woman, placing a hand on his shoulder.  
  
Aro-Ken sighed with frustration. He moved her hand and stood up, starting for the door and trying to ignore the pain.  
  
Suddenly he turned around. "Where are my clothes?" he asked, realizing he was wearing only his shorts.  
  
"They are being cleaned in the river."  
  
"The river? Don't you have droids to do that?"  
  
"No. There are no mechanics on Jadda," said one of the women.  
  
Aro-Ken lay down again.  
  
"Rest now. We will be back later," said one of the women, and the other two followed her out of the room.  
  
Aro-Ken lay there for a while, trying to focus on anything but the pain, but fell asleep shortly.  
  
He awoke later feeling slightly better. He heard giggles.  
  
Aro-Ken opened his eyes, and saw several small heads gazing through the windows.  
  
"Ssh, ssh, he's awake!" "I can see that!" "He's very handsome!" came the excited whispers.  
  
He finally felt ready to make sure he was all right. Aro-Ken lifted a hand and put it to his head. He flinched and drew in a sharp breath at the pain it brought. He tried to move his right arm, the one that had been shot, and fire erupted, shooting along it. Slowly, he bent both knees, and found that he probably could walk if he really needed to, despite the pain that still stabbed at his lower leg where Gripfang had seized it. His balance would definitely be off, but he'd be able to stand at least.  
  
He turned his head and suddenly saw someone sitting next to him, and jumped, springing into a sitting position. Pain jabbed at him along the left side of his ribcage.  
  
The person rose. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you, I just brought you-" Aro-Ken discovered that the person was a young boy. He wasn't very tall, and had black hair and dark silver eyes that had been curiously looking at him.  
  
"It's all right, it's all right. You can stay if you want," Aro-Ken said.  
  
The boy slowly sat down. "All the other kids wanted to, but Mom chose me," he proudly said.  
  
"Chose you for what?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
"To bring you your food," the boy said, gesturing to the platter next to the bed.  
  
"Oh, thank you," said the Jedi.  
  
The boy waited a minute or two, either nervous or excited, and then said, "What's your name?"  
  
"My name is Aro-Ken Rumos," he answered.  
  
"I'm Mattan," the young boy said.  
  
"How old are you, Mattan?" Aro-Ken asked him.  
  
"I'm eight," he answered.  
  
Aro-Ken was silent for a moment. There was something about this boy that made him think. He knew he had sensed if before. He just didn't know when or where.  
  
"What's this?" Mattan suddenly asked, holding out Aro-Ken's lightsaber.  
  
"Give me that!" he cried, taking it from the boy. "Where did you find it?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
"You had it when I found you."  
  
"You found me?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
Mattan smiled proudly and nodded. "What is it?" he repeated, pointing at the lightsaber.  
  
"It's called a lightsaber. It's very dangerous. I don't want you to touch it again, all right?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
"OK," Mattan nodded.  
  
"All right," Aro-Ken said, putting his lightsaber aside.  
  
Aro-Ken kept thinking about the boy. Where most children his age would whine and ask questions, Mattan simply accepted things. He acted almost too mature to be eight years old.  
  
"How did you get hurt?" asked Mattan.  
  
"I had to fight a big animal. It was like a serpent. And then I won the fight, and some people tried to shoot me," Aro-Ken explained.  
  
"Why did they try to shoot you if you won the fight?" Mattan asked.  
  
"Because they wanted me to lose."  
  
"Why do you have your lightsaber?" Mattan curiously asked. He seemed to be fascinated with it.  
  
"Because I am what is called a Jedi. Have you heard of Jedis?"  
  
Mattan shook his head, intrigued.  
  
"Well, I can use something called the Force. I can move things, tell when someone is behind me, and do things to peoples' minds," said Aro-Ken.  
  
"Wow," Mattan said, his eyes wide.  
  
He opened his mouth to say something, but just then the door opened. A woman's voice came, shooing away the other children who had been peeking through the windows.  
  
"Mattan, come on. Our guest needs some quiet," she said, putting a hand on Mattan's shoulder. She had Mattan's silver eyes and dark hair. She smiled at Aro-Ken.  
  
"All right," Mattan reluctantly said, but he did not put up an argument or throw a tantrum.  
  
"It was nice to meet you, Mattan," Aro-Ken called after him.  
  
"I'll come back tomorrow!" the boy called back.  
  
After he had eaten his meal, some fresh fruits and a very good salad, he did some intense thinking. He tried to sense whether his master was all right or not, but his thoughts kept turning back to Mattan.  
  
This boy was different. There was no denying that.  
  
As he had talked with Mattan, Aro-Ken had felt something that always seemed to be lingering in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. He seemed very sensible and impassive, like someone five years older than he was.  
  
The young Jedi just lay there, his mind wondering about Mattan, for about another hour, when the three women came in to redress his wounds. Aro-Ken learned that their names were Rida, Lani, and Wyla. They were the best healers in the village.  
  
"Why is it that you don't you have droids or anything here to do these things for you?" Aro-Ken curiously asked.  
  
"There are no mechanics on this moon. We are all exiles from Crixxin, or the descendants of exiles. The Crixxian rulers and Prime Ministers have been sending exiles here for centuries," explained Lani. Lani had very long, golden blond hair and clear blue eyes.  
  
"Why were people exiled?" Aro-Ken inquired.  
  
"Most of them were very strong Atheists. Some broke the understood laws of Crixxian, and others are petty criminals," said Wyla. Wyla was aging, but not about to die. Her hair was streaked with white and grey, and she had kind green eyes.  
  
"What of Mattan? How did he and his mother end up here?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Aro-Ken, but it is not our place to tell you that. You will have to ask Dahna yourself," said Lani.  
  
Aro-Ken nodded. "When will I be able to walk again?"  
  
"At the rate you are recovering, I'd say some time tomorrow," said Rida. Rida's hair was copper colored and her eyes were hazel.  
  
"Is there a way off this moon?" asked Aro-Ken.  
  
Lani sadly shook her head.  
  
"There has to be one," Aro-Ken intently said.  
  
"No. The men of the village have tried. They cannot build a ship or overpower the ones that leave dead on Jadda," said Wyla.  
  
"That was before you had a Jedi on your side," Aro-Ken said with a mysterious grin.  
  
*****  
  
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews! 


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
I added TWO chapters since FF.N has been down for so long! You people are so lucky!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
Back on Crixxin, things were heating up in the palace.  
  
There had been several furious debates between Prince Talno and King Anjos; Talno still wishing to wipe out the Atheists and Anjos opposing him. Prime Minister Darmick had sided with the prince. Queen Leckura was still deep in thought on the subject, but tried to stay on the same side as her husband.  
  
The queen was still angry about the deaths of the Jedi. She had not spoken to Darmick since she found out. She could often be found walking through the garden, with a distant, pained look on her face.  
  
Unknown to Anjos and Leckura, Prime Minister Darmick had told all his troops to feel free to arrest any Atheists they saw on the streets.  
  
With the order known to everyone who was not in the palace, the crowds on the streets were greatly diminished.  
  
Talno would often pull the Prime Minister aside and check on the progress of the Atheist Disposal Act as they called it, and Darmick would grin evilly as he gave the prince a list of numbers.  
  
Unknown to the king and queen, their power over the situation was growing increasingly smaller.  
  
The king and queen were not only losing their influence, but also their relationship. It had never been a very good one. They seldom talked to each other, and hardly knew one another to begin with. The only reason they'd had Talno was because the Prime Ministers had insisted they needed an heir to the throne.  
  
Leckura and Anjos's marriage had been an arranged one. Leckura was the daughter of one of the most powerful Prime Ministers on the planet. Anjos was the heir to the Crixxin throne. The first time they had ever met was on their wedding day.  
  
But both of them had secrets. Very similar ones, but secrets nonetheless.  
  
Darmick knew both of these secrets. And the time had come for him to use them to his advantage. He wanted the Atheists gone. If they continued to oppose him, he would lose power, perhaps all of it. He had vowed long ago to do all he could to stop the rebellions before the Atheists grew too strong.  
  
It was on one of her frequent long walks through the garden that Darmick caught up with the queen.  
  
"Your Majesty, I have been doing a great deal of thinking lately," he said as he approached her side.  
  
The queen gasped, startled. "Prime Minister! Forgive me, I did not hear you coming," she said.  
  
As the Prime Minister looked at her, he almost felt sorry for what he was about to do. Almost.  
  
"Your Majesty, I think it is in the best interest of the entire planet that the Atheists be destroyed. All of them," said Darmick.  
  
"Prime Minister, I am sorry, but this discussion has been held on several occasions, always with the same results. Today will be no different. What do you hope to accomplish now?" the queen calmly asked.  
  
"Because, Your Majesty, as I have been stated, I know what will make you agree with me now. I have a treaty with me," he said, pulling out a large durasheet from within the billows of his robes. "All I need is your signature and the king's to make this perfectly legal."  
  
The queen looked the treaty over. It firmly stated several times that every Atheist would face death if discovered. There were several punishments for those who were caught aiding or hiding an Atheist.  
  
"Prime Minister, I will not agree to such declarations. I am sorry, but I cannot grant your request," said Leckura.  
  
"Is the king holding you back, Your Highness? You must not let Anjos interfere with this important decision," said Darmick.  
  
"I am not letting him interfere, Prime Minister. I do not wish for any more bloodshed," Leckura said.  
  
"Your Majesty, do you wish to jeopardize your Reward with such a foolish disagreement like this?" asked Darmick, speaking of the reward that all Crixxians believed they received when they died.  
  
"Prime Minister, at the moment I am willing to risk even my Reward to keep this planet alive and peaceful," Queen Leckura said firmly.  
  
Darmick sighed. He had really tried to stay away from this area. "If Your Majesty will not agree under the terms I have all ready suggested, I will have to move on to more drastic ones."  
  
She curiously looked at him.  
  
"Markaen."  
  
This single word brought an expression of fear, horror, and a small bit of anger to her face. "No, Darmick, please do not involve him in this! Don't hurt him!" she cried.  
  
"I assure you, my queen, I do not have him. But I will be forced to tell the world about him if you do not sign the treaty," said Darmick.  
  
"Darmick, please! I beg of you! Not Markaen!" she was on her knees, and close to tears.  
  
"Sign and I will forget this conversation ever happened," he coolly said.  
  
She sobbed as she grasped the pen, and slowly wrote, "Queen Leckura," on the durasheet.  
  
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I assure you, you will not regret this decision," Darmick said with a small smile as he bowed, turned, and walked away.  
  
The queen rigidly sat down on a bench near the fountain, and allowed herself to cry with her face in her hands for hours.  
  
"No Prime Minister. I've had these arguments with you too many times, and my answer has not changed," said King Anjos, waving his hand to send the Prime Minister off.  
  
Darmick did not move though. "Sire, think of your Reward. Think of your family's Reward. It will be destroyed if you do not do as the Gods would wish," he said.  
  
"As much as I care for my family, I cannot let them stand in the way of such an important choice," said Anjos.  
  
This little tug-of-war with the king was starting to get irritating. Darmick was turning slightly red with impatience and frustration.  
  
"But Sire, both your wife and son have submitted their names," said Darmick, holding out the treaty for him to see. Before he had searched for Anjos, the crafty Prime Minister had sought out Talno and had easily gotten his signature on the treaty.  
  
"Their decisions matter not to me. I have told you, I am going to prevent more war at all costs," said Anjos.  
  
Darmick gave a sigh of false regret. "It seems such a shame to let the world know about your son."  
  
"It is no great secret that Talno has a great dislike for the Atheists. Why should I care if you tell anyone?" asked Anjos.  
  
"Not Talno, Sire. Your other son," Darmick said with a guileful, malicious smile.  
  
Anjos's eyes grew wide. "You wouldn't," he said.  
  
"You would be surprised at what I would and would not do, Your Highness," said Darmick.  
  
"If you tell anyone, I will have you executed," said Anjos.  
  
"I'm sure our fellow Crixxians would love that," Darmick sarcastically said.  
  
"Now, Darmick, surely we can reach an agreement about this," Anjos nervously said, growing very uneasy with the topic of discussion. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.  
  
"The choice is yours sir. And I would hate to tell the planet of your deception and betrayal," Darmick said.  
  
Anjos angrily let out a breath. "Give me the treaty." He angrily wrote down his name, "King Anjos V."  
  
"Thank you, Your Eminence. I assure you, you will not regret this decision," Darmick said.  
  
Anjos did not reply.  
  
Darmick bowed and walked out of the room.  
  
A few moments later, Darmick stalked down the secret stairway to go alert the troops of the treaty, completely satisfied with his work. Everything was working out just the way he had planned.  
  
*****  
  
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews! 


	9. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
AN: I added TWO MORE chapters since I haven't updated for so long! You people are so lucky!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER NINE  
  
Aro-Ken had grown stronger since Mattan had found him the previous day. He could now walk, with a slight limp, in his cabin. The blaster wound in his side was healing nicely, and so was the gash on his skull. He had to admit, for such primitive medicines the three medics were using, they were doing the trick.  
  
He had been outside a few times, and saw that the village wasn't very big. There were probably about thirty families living in small, simple houses made of logs. There was a large forest off to one side of the village, a river on the other, and the rest was large, grassy plains and gently rolling hills.  
  
Mattan still came to visit Aro-Ken often, answering any question Aro-Ken had about Jadda. Aro-Ken, in turn, told Mattan anything he wanted to know about Jedis.  
  
He had shown Mattan how his lightsaber worked, demonstrated his powers, and told him how he was trained. The young boy had been entranced as he watched with fascination, asking about everything he wanted to know and, to his happiness, he usually got a good answer.  
  
Mattan had never been off Jadda except for the brief period of time that he had lived on Crixxin, during which he was too young to remember much.  
  
Mattan's mother, Dahna, was very elusive when Aro-Ken questioned her about her son. She would give him reluctant answers, or ones that he could not make any sense out of.  
  
Aro-Ken had awakened the morning after he had first met Mattan to find a pair of soft brown eyes hovering just a few inches from his face.  
  
"Aah!" he cried, jumping in surprise.  
  
"Do you like him?" he heard a voice ask.  
  
"What is this thing, Mattan?" he asked the boy, who was calmly sitting next to the bed.  
  
The animal was small and furry. It had wide, pointed ears and a slim muzzle. It was lying on his chest, and now began to sniff him.  
  
"It's a foxxin. I caught him outside for you. He'll keep you company," Mattan said, obviously proud of himself.  
  
"How did you catch it?" Aro-Ken asked. He had heard of foxxins before. People said they were very difficult to catch.  
  
"I followed him for a while, and he didn't know I was there. And then I knew where he would go, so I hid and waited, and then I put my shirt over him. He was really struggling and kicking, so I told him it was OK and I wouldn't hurt him, and then he was good," Mattan explained, swelling with pride.  
  
Aro-Ken was now intrigued. "How did you know where it would go?" he asked the boy.  
  
"I just knew it in my head. Like you said you can see things before they happen and know where something is going. I did that. And then I didn't tell him it was OK. I said it with my mind. I thought it, and he heard me, I guess," Mattan said.  
  
Aro-Ken nodded, not really sure what to say next.  
  
"Can you tell me about what happened on Crixxin some more?" Mattan asked.  
  
"Sure," Aro-Ken said.  
  
He sat with Mattan for the next hour, retelling his tale of everything that had happened since the first time he'd set foot on the Crixxin soil.  
  
"What was Crixxin like before all the wars?" Mattan asked.  
  
Aro-Ken proceeded to tell of this. He told Mattan what he knew of the splendorous architecture, the flourishing, prosperous cities, the beautiful wilderness, and peaceful, tranquil countryside farms.  
  
Finally, as she always seemed to do, Dahna came in after a while and called Mattan to dinner. He left reluctantly, and Aro-Ken caught the same smile that Dahna always gave him.  
  
In his time on Jadda, Aro-Ken had made several attempts to talk to Dahna about her son. About how mature he was, how intelligent he was for his age, and, what Aro-Ken had really wanted to know, who was his father? But usually she would smile and change the subject.  
  
During one conversation, they got into great detail about Mattan's abilities.  
  
"Dahna, your son is a very. unique boy," Aro-Ken had started off with.  
  
Dahna had given him one of the all-too-familiar smiles. "Yes, I know. He is very special."  
  
"I believe he can see things before they happen. He has very quick reflexes," Aro-Ken commented.  
  
"Yes," Dahna simply said.  
  
"How long have you seen his abilities?" asked Aro-Ken.  
  
"Since he was born. If I lost something, he always knew where it was. There was a time that a herd of banthas was stampeding towards the village. He knew before they arrived. He alerted everyone before they were in range of sight. Even before we could hear them. We were able to drive them away and change their course before they reached the village with his warning," Dahna said, obviously proud of her son.  
  
"Did anybody else in your family have powers like his? Your parents, siblings?" asked Aro-Ken.  
  
"No. Nobody," Dahna replied.  
  
"Tell me, who was his father?"  
  
Dahna froze for a moment. "I. I don't remember his name. I have to leave," she said, rising and walking away.  
  
As he ate his dinner, Aro-Ken fed some of it to the foxxin, which had proceeded to licking his face constantly. Aro-Ken found if he put it on the ground, it got jumpy and anxious, and would always find a way to clamber back into his lap.  
  
As he stroked it gently, his thoughts once again wandered to the boy.  
  
After their conversation that day, he suddenly knew what it was he had sensed. The Force. He could have smacked himself for not realizing it sooner. He supposed Del-Mon had been right when he said that Aro-Ken had to work on his connection to the living Force. Why had it taken him so long? He had no idea what he was to do with this information, but he supposed there would be time to do something later.  
  
He managed to focus his thoughts on his mission. Where was Del-Mon? Was he even alive? Aro-Ken was pretty sure he would feel something if his master was deceased, they had been traveling with each other for the better part of three years.  
  
No. He had to be alive. And Aro-Ken knew he had to find him.  
  
When the three healers came in to check up on him, they all agreed he would be well the next day.  
  
He lay awake late that night, scratching the sleeping foxxin's head, contemplating his situation carefully. He was injured, but healing rapidly, on a small moon with no apparent way off. The mission he was to accomplish was impossible to do from his current location, and the planet he had to get to was war-torn and hostile. He had no idea if his master was dead or alive, or captive if he was alive. He had to admit, his predicament was very grim.  
  
Sighing dismally, he looked out the window. He saw the orb that was Crixxin. It was green, blue, and brown in some places.  
  
He just looked at it, his head a whirlwind of thoughts, until he finally fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
  
  
Aro-Ken arose the next day to the familiar sound of the three women coming in with their herbs and clean bandages for his wounds.  
  
He could hear them speaking of an unusual subject. More had been found dead, all in the same place, just an hour ago.  
  
Instantly, Aro-Ken sat up and looked at them. "How many were found?" he asked.  
  
"Ten, I believe," answered Wyla.  
  
"How did they get here?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
"They were left at the Dead Site by a large transport, just like you were," answered Lani.  
  
"I must see the Dead Site. How often does the transport leave people here?" he asked.  
  
"Every day. Sometimes there are two or three that come in a day," said Wyla.  
  
"Can you take me to the Dead Site?" he hopefully asked.  
  
The three healers looked at each other. "Yes, I think so," Rida said.  
  
"Good. I have a plan."  
  
Aro-Ken wasted no time. As soon as they were done, he was outside in the middle of the village square, all the people of the village gathered around him.  
  
"People of Wellmir, I am Aro-Ken Rumos. I'm a Jedi, and I think I can help you get off this moon and back to Crixxin if you are willing to do as I say. Will you hear me out?" he asked, speaking loudly and calmly.  
  
"Why should we believe you? Why should we trust you?" a voice shouted. It was followed by a murmur of agreement.  
  
Aro-Ken looked down at the large rock he was standing on. He focused on it, using almost every ounce of strength he had to pull it with the Force.  
  
He closed his eyes as he concentrated, shutting the crowd of villagers out of his mind. A few beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.  
  
He suddenly felt the boulder jerk, freeing itself from the soil. It began to rise, going up until it was above the heads of the surrounding people. From the gasps of shock and amazement he heard, Aro-Ken knew he had proved himself to them.  
  
He opened his eyes and looked down. "Is this proof enough?" he asked, hiding the effort it took to keep the stone suspended in the air.  
  
There was a unanimous agreement in the crowd.  
  
Slowly, Aro-Ken allowed the stone to come down and nestle itself in the hole it had began in.  
  
"Now please, listen to me. I was sent on a diplomatic mission to try and stop the conflict on Crixxin, but something happened and I wound up here. I need to get back to the planet and complete my mission. How many of you know of what has been happening on your planet?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
Most all of the villagers' hands went up.  
  
"Then you wish to stop it as much as I do, I'm sure," said Aro-Ken.  
  
There was a murmur of agreement.  
  
"Good. Now listen. This will only work if everyone cooperates. When the next transport comes, myself and some others will be waiting for it. As soon as the hatch opens, we shall board the transport, by force if we must. Tell me, how large is this transport that comes?" he asked.  
  
A voice called out, "Very large!"  
  
"Is it large enough to hold everyone from this village?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
"No, I'd say half of us could get on at once," replied whoever had called out.  
  
"All right. Those that aren't coming on the first trip will be picked up later, I promise. What weapons do you have here?" Aro-Ken asked.  
  
"Spears," replied someone in the crowd.  
  
"That's all?" Aro-Ken asked, hoping it wasn't.  
  
No one answered.  
  
"We'll have to work with that. I'll need the four best spearsmen you have to take the ship. Once the transport is ours, those who are coming back to Crixxin can board. I'll leave it up to all of you to decide who will come with me on the first trip. Now, would those four spearsmen please come forward?"  
  
There was a short dispute, but finally four large men stepped out of the crowd.  
  
"Good. We'll need to go soon. Hurry and pick who will come. Those that remain here, I promise I will send another transport back for you. Hurry, we don't know how much time we have to prepare," said Aro-Ken. He suddenly saw Mattan's eyes in the crowd, looking at him with admiration and hope. Looking at the young boy, he said to the whole crowd, "May the Force be with you."  
  
*****  
  
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews! 


	10. Chapter Ten

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
AN: I added TWO MORE chapters since I haven't updated for so long! You people are so lucky!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER TEN  
  
Del-Mon arose early the next morning. At least, he assumed it was early. There was no way of telling when he was beneath the ground.  
  
The wooden door to his room creaked open, and Elias poked his head in. "Good, you're awake," he said, coming in.  
  
Del-Mon said nothing. He would have preferred to meditate before leaving the room, as he assumed Elias would ask him to do.  
  
"Come. Breakfast is being served. Then I can tell you what you must do for us before we get you in the palace," Elias said.  
  
Del-Mon rose and followed Elias down a twisting hallway and into the large room they had arrived in the previous day.  
  
He was not concentrating on Elias. He was still trying to find his Padawan with his mind. Del-Mon knew Aro-Ken was alive. He just had no idea where he was.  
  
"Try to ignore the hostilities. Usually the only people we get down here are Atheists," Elias called over his shoulder as he led Del-Mon to a table.  
  
As they ate some kavasa and juju fruits, served with some old charbote roots, Danya came and sat next to her brother.  
  
She started to speak loudly, not caring if Del-Mon overheard. "Brother, I still don't trust the Jedi. How do you know he is not here to tell the king and queen of our position?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know. And at the moment I really don't care. Del-Mon has agreed to help me, so I will gladly assist him. This is war. As much as I hate to say it, it's true. We need all the help we can get," Elias said.  
  
Angrily, Danya grabbed a kavasa fruit from the bowl in the middle of the table and bit into it. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she huffed.  
  
"I won't need to," Elias retorted.  
  
Danya abruptly pushed her chair back from the table and stormed away.  
  
"Tell me, is she always like that?" Del-Mon asked.  
  
"Usually. She has a very hard time trusting people. You would too if your best friend's father murdered your family," Elias said.  
  
Del-Mon curiously looked at him, wordlessly asking for the full story.  
  
"When we were younger, when Danya was about thirteen and I was fifteen, our father was a very wealthy and well-respected merchant. He was a good friend with one of the Church of Crixxin's High Priests. Darmick was his name. But after a while, Father too became curious about the Crixxian religion and began to question it. He began to spread his ideas, persuading many people to join his side. They questioned the authority of the priests, the laws based on the religion, and began to stop obeying them altogether. Despite their different views, Darmick and Father tried to be civil to each other, but it wasn't working.  
  
"Soon the priests decided he was getting too rebellious. They came up with a plan. They invited our whole family, Danya, our parents, our older brother Tennin, and I to what they called a 'negotiative dinner.' We went, and during a toast, some gunmen came out of nowhere. Danya and I had to watch as our parents were murdered in front of us, along with Tennin. They almost shot me, but I moved first. They just got my eye here instead," Elias gestured to the eye patch he wore. "When I got away, I got to a free medic station, and they had to operate and take my eye out. I didn't have any money to buy a cyborg eye, so I got stuck like this."  
  
Del-Mon nodded. "Go on," he bade Elias.  
  
"They thought I was dead, but I was just knocked out. Danya said she got away and escaped into the palace. She found her way to the hangar, and said she managed to get me out of the huge pile of corpses that was being loaded onto one of the Jadda transports. She says she was too slow to get our parents and Tennin. She still blames herself. She's convinced that they were all alive.  
  
"We tried to find our way out when I woke up, but we were caught first. The guards who found us kicked us around some, and then took us before the current Prime Minister. They told him that our parents were dead, and he seemed satisfied so they just threw us out on the streets. We somehow found our way down here. Both of us had been around our father for so long that we agreed with his beliefs completely. So we got the word around that any Atheist who was being persecuted was welcome down here.  
  
"People really didn't listen to us until a few years ago, when Darmick was appointed Prime Minister and started really getting at the Atheists. That's when they really started coming in. I've been here the longest and I'm older than Danya, so I was appointed leader. So. That's how things happened," Elias said.  
  
"I see," Del-Mon said, not really sure of what else he could say after hearing such a tale.  
  
"Now, I'm not saying all the Crixxians should die or anything. Don't get me wrong. The only one who really doesn't deserve to live is Darmick. He's the one who's having everyone arrested and killed," Elias assured Del-Mon.  
  
"Of course, of course. I understand your reasoning completely," Del-Mon replied. "Now, what is it that I have to do for you if you'll get me in the palace?"  
  
"It's simple really. Just-" Elias was cut short by a huge explosion. The tunnel shook and rumbled. Loose dirt and stones fell from the ceiling.  
  
Elias was instantly on his feet. "What was that?"  
  
A woman came climbing up the ladder and into the room. Del-Mon noticed it was Sari. Her hair was wildly strewn about and she had a deep cut on her forehead. "There's Crixxian troops coming! At least fifty, and they're armed to the teeth! They just tossed a grenade at the guards we had! I just barely escaped!" she frantically cried.  
  
As if on cue, a grenade came hurtling into the room from below.  
  
"Get out of here! Take cover!" Elias shouted.  
  
People instantly began to flee down the corridor in a frenzy, calling for their friends and family as they did.  
  
Del-Mon could see that there was no chance of getting out that way, so he ran as fast as he could to the wall. He grabbed the nearest table, overturned it, and crouched down behind it. A few others spotted the move and joined him.  
  
Then there was an explosion. Screams rang out. The force of the blast shoved Del-Mon backwards a few paces and dented the table, nearly cracking it in half.  
  
Del-Mon was on his feet in an instant, his glowing green lightsaber ignited.  
  
Elias was quickly taking charge of the situation. "Quick, get the children and the wounded out of here! Everyone else, stay here with me! We'll hold them off as long as we can! Get some tables over here!"  
  
Then, soldiers began to enter the room, firing at anyone they saw moving. The soldiers had powerful blaster rifles in good working order and wore blast armor, whereas Elias's men were armed with old blasters that they had scavenged and had no protection.  
  
Those who had not joined Del-Mon were pulling tables over to the doorway to block it.  
  
Del-Mon spun and weaved about the blasts, watching as others fell around him.  
  
A few people were on their knees, dragging tables to the entrance to the corridor as Elias had instructed.  
  
"Everybody get back here behind the tables! We'll hold them off from here!" Elias's voice rang out.  
  
Del-Mon and the others backed away, still firing, and in Del-Mon's case, deflecting shots back at the soldiers. He did not aim to kill, only to wound. He often tried to aim the shots he hit at an arm or leg.  
  
When he reached the table, he spun around and jumped, clearing the tables easily as the other Atheists scrambled over them. Three were shot as they tried.  
  
Elias's men were shooting back at the soldiers, bravely defending their fellow Atheists.  
  
"Put your laser sword away. It's no use back here. Take this," Elias said to Del-Mon, quickly thrusting a blaster rifle into his hands.  
  
Del-Mon hadn't wielded a blaster of any sort for a long time, but he quickly got used to it. He still did not aim to kill. He had no desire to kill. He was simply doing this to give the wounded Atheists a chance to get away.  
  
Round after round came from the soldiers, and they were greatly taking their toll on the tables. Their barricade was quickly weakening against the Crixxian soldiers' stronger firepower.  
  
As a shot blasted clear through the wood and hit someone in the leg, Elias shouted over the roar of the blaster fire, "Come on! We have to get out of here! Wid, you know what to do!"  
  
The silent man nodded.  
  
"You might want to get down," Elias said to Del-Mon.  
  
The Jedi got down on one knee, and watched as Wid grabbed one of the tables with his powerful arms.  
  
As the firing ceased for an instant, he stood up and hurled the table at a large group of the guards. There were shouts, and some stray shots went out as the table collided with the group.  
  
"Run! Now!" shouted Elias.  
  
Instantly his band followed him down the tunnels, the soldiers behind them. Occasionally blaster fire would ring out from behind them and someone would scream and fall. The running Atheists would sometimes manage to turn around and fire off a few shots.  
  
"Get to the Above! The others will be there!" Elias yelled over the gunshots and screams and shouts.  
  
Del-Mon continued to follow the running group as its size continued to decrease.  
  
"Get up the stairs, hurry!" Elias said.  
  
The Jedi looked ahead, and saw that there was a narrow stone staircase in front of them.  
  
Elias made sure everyone got inside before he went up as well.  
  
Behind them, there was the sound of clanking blast armor and angry shouts. Del-Mon guessed the stairway was too small for the soldiers to fit into with all their armor on.  
  
Del-Mon looked ahead, and saw daylight at the end of the stairway. He quickened his pace, and climbed out the metal hatch at the end of the stairs.  
  
Elias followed him, and then turned to the metal hatch that closed over the staircase, and slammed it shut. He grabbed a bar of metal and jammed it into the old lock, preventing anyone from opening it.  
  
With a sigh of relief, he turned to his followers. "Well, we're alive. We have to get to the backup structure. Come on," Elias said. He turned, and his band followed him.  
  
They stayed in the alleyways and shadows, only crossing the streets in groups of two or three. Del-Mon knew if they looked suspicious, they would be stopped.  
  
Finally, Elias led the exhausted Atheists into a huge, abandoned building after unlocking the door. They went up a few flights of stairs, and found a large room that took up an entire floor. It was there that the wounded and those that had evacuated them were. There had to be at least three hundred people, one hundred of them wounded or dying. Children were silent for the most part, except for the very young ones who had been separated from their parents and were crying for them.  
  
Del-Mon looked around, and saw they did not have a lot of medical supplies.  
  
Those that had fought by Elias's side now left him and scattered about the room in search of their families, except for Wid. Wid had been right next to Elias through the whole battle. The strong, silent man had refused to leave his side.  
  
Elias sat down in a corner with his head in his hands.  
  
As Del-Mon began to sit next to him, a hand grabbed his arm. "You are a spy!" spat an angry voice. Del-Mon didn't need the Force to tell who it was.  
  
"Danya, I had nothing to do with this," he sternly said.  
  
"You'd love for me to believe that, wouldn't you? Elias, I don't know about you, but it seems a bit suspicious to me that just after you brought your Jedi friend Underground those guards found us," Danya said.  
  
"Danya, I'm not in the mood for your false accusations right now. We have lost many. We shall worry about how they found us at a later time," Elias said.  
  
"He's a spy, Elias! How many times must I tell you?" she cried.  
  
Del-Mon noticed there were a few others at Danya's side, nodding their heads and agreeing with her.  
  
Angrily, Elias rose. "Danya, enough of this foolishness!" he furiously said. Wid stood next to him, the fierce look on his face firmly stating that he would always be on Elias's side.  
  
"We don't have to kill him if you really don't want to. Just throw him out. Would you rather they found us here and wiped us out?" Danya asked.  
  
"Danya, I don't know how they found us, but I do know that Del-Mon had nothing to do with it!" Elias fumed.  
  
"There are so many ways he could be telling them! Did you bother to check on him during the night? He could have a tracking device on him somewhere. He probably has a comlink that he's sending them information with!" Danya cried.  
  
Elias looked at her furiously. Then he lifted his hand and struck her across the cheek.  
  
Angrily, she glared at him, and Elias returned the stone-cold gaze.  
  
He then turned to face the rest of the occupants in the room. He spoke with a powerful, commanding voice that would make anyone listen. "Everyone, hear me! No one among us is a spy! Do not listen to my sister! Today was a tragic day in all our lives that will not be forgotten soon! But I ask you, do not attack the Crixxians! We cannot and will not be blamed for the start of a war! You know as well as I do they will overpower us! I have spoken! Now tend to your wounded, reunite with your families! We will act when all are well! I have spoken!"  
  
He turned and locked eyes with Del-Mon. After looking at him for a moment, he spun around on his heel and walked away into the crowd, Wid obediently following him.  
  
Danya muttered to him, "I'll be watching you, spy." She and her handful of followers walked away.  
  
  
  
A few hours later, the sun was beginning to set. It cast an orange glow about the room. Most of the Atheists in the building were sleeping.  
  
Elias was sitting against a wall with his head in his hands. Wid stood a short distance away.  
  
Del-Mon came along and sat next to him. They sat in silence until Del-Mon suddenly noticed a patch of blood on Elias's pant leg. "You're injured," he commented.  
  
Elias did not reply.  
  
"Let me go get a bandage or something for you," the Jedi said, starting to rise.  
  
"No. Don't," Elias calmly said, putting a hand on Del-Mon's arm.  
  
"Elias, you are wounded. It looks bad. I know how to treat it," Del-Mon assured him.  
  
"I'm sure you do, but I said no. There are others that need the supplies more than I do," Elias said.  
  
Del-Mon had to admire his courage. "All right," he said, seeing there was no changing Elias's mind.  
  
Elias took a deep breath and let it out, looking over the people. "Sixty- four dead. Nearly double that many injured. All because of the Crixxians," he said without expression.  
  
"I'm sorry," Del-Mon said after a brief pause. He felt a new admiration for Elias. He'd been through so much pain in his life, and now this.  
  
"Don't be. Why should you be? You haven't known them for half your life. Watched them grow. Helped teach them everything you knew. And now watch as they suffer and die," Elias said, staring blankly ahead.  
  
"Elias, about that mission you wanted me to help you with-" Del-Mon began.  
  
"Forget it," Elias sharply cut him off.  
  
"Elias, I can help you-"  
  
"Del-Mon, the only thing I want you to do for me now is to take me with you when you go to the palace tomorrow. I have seen what will happen if I allow this to continue. And I am determined not to let it," Elias said.  
  
"All right," Del-Mon said.  
  
*****  
  
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews! 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
AN: Thanks for your review, Anorithil!  
  
I added TWO MORE chapters since I haven't updated for so long! You people are so lucky!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER ELEVEN  
  
Mattan sat close to Aro-Ken, holding the foxxin in his arms. Aro-Ken somehow found the boy's presence reassuring. He'd grown very close to him in the past two days. Mattan and Dahna were two of the ones that were going to be on the first transport back to Crixxin.  
  
Aro-Ken found it a bit odd that on his first mission to Crixxin, he'd found himself fighting to get off the planet. Now he was going to be fighting to get back onto it.  
  
Right now, half the villagers, about fifty, were hidden behind a large hill. They had been there for the better part of the day, waiting for the transport that they knew would come.  
  
"What if it doesn't come?" a voice called.  
  
"Be patient. It will come, I know it. Dom, Sejos, Sono, Rulm, are you ready?" he asked the four spearsmen at his side.  
  
"Yeah, we're ready for anything," Sejos said.  
  
"Good. It won't be much longer now," said Aro-Ken.  
  
Aro-Ken had learned that Sono and Sejos were twin brothers. Both had brown hair and dark blue eyes. You could tell them apart because of the scar above Sejos's right eye, and Sono's chipped front tooth. They had been smugglers known as the Pair of Pirates when they lived on Crixxin.  
  
Dom had been born on the moon. He had brown skin and no hair. His father and mother had been exiles who were married on Jadda.  
  
Rulm was a very young man. He had short, dark blond hair and blue eyes. He'd been falsely accused of assassinating an important church leader on Crixxin and exiled.  
  
"Aro-Ken, what will happen when we get there?" asked Mattan, breaking the tense silence that had come over the large group of waiting villagers.  
  
"I'm not sure. I have to go to the palace and try and talk to the king and queen. Do you have family on Crixxin that you could stay with?" asked Aro- Ken.  
  
"I don't know. Wait, there is someone! My father!" cried Mattan excitedly.  
  
"Your father? He's alive? Who is he?" asked Aro-Ken. He looked around to make sure Dahna wouldn't stop Mattan from telling him, but her back was turned as she talked to Lani.  
  
"My father is on Crixxin! I don't remember his name, but I know what he looked like. He was-"  
  
"Look! There it is!" a voice from the rather large crowd shouted.  
  
Aro-Ken looked up, and saw that a transport was coming towards the moon, preparing to land.  
  
"Mattan, you'll have to tell me later. The transport is here. When it lands I have to go get on. You stay right here, all right?" Aro-Ken said.  
  
Mattan nodded his head.  
  
"Good. Don't leave your mother," he instructed. "Are you ready?" he turned to the spearsmen.  
  
They all nodded.  
  
"Good. Just wait," said Aro-Ken.  
  
They watched as the large, boxy transport landed. The repulsorlifts on it pushed aside grass and dirt, making it seem windy. Aro-Ken peeked over the hilltop cautiously.  
  
The repulsorlifts stopped as the landing struts were lowered, and the hatch began to open.  
  
"Take aim now," he muttered to the spearsmen.  
  
They leaned over the hill, tightly gripping their spears. Their eyes were intently glued to the spot where the guards would appear.  
  
There was a moment of tense silence, and then someone came down onto the moon. Instantly, two of the spearsmen hurled their spears, striking him in the back, killing him instantly.  
  
Right away, five guards armed with blaster rifles charged down the ramp and onto the moon. Luckily, they were not wearing armor.  
  
"Now!" Aro-Ken shouted, igniting his lightsaber and charging down the hill. The four warriors followed him, three of them throwing spears. Two more guards were struck down.  
  
Blaster fire began, hitting the dirt and showering it.  
  
Aro-Ken jumped about, skillfully using his blue lightsaber to deflect shots. He hit a guard in the leg, and then approached another from behind. The young Jedi struck him down with grim satisfaction.  
  
The spearsmen were doing a good job. Soon there were only two guards left.  
  
"Rulm, stay with me! The rest of you get on board! Try and find the cockpit!" he yelled to them.  
  
Instantly the young man called Rulm was at his side, and his three companions were darting up the boarding ramp.  
  
"You take him, I'll get the other," Rulm said, pointing out the guards.  
  
Aro-Ken did not object. He began moving closer and closer to the guard he was to kill, hitting away the blaster bolts.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rulm had taken care of the other guard. "Get on board and help the others!" Aro-Ken called to him.  
  
Rulm hesitantly turned and boarded the ship.  
  
Aro-Ken moved in, going in circles around his opponent, trying to confuse him. Finally, he managed to get close enough to slash the guard across the wrist. He cried out and dropped his blaster.  
  
Aro-Ken instantly switched off his lightsaber and snatched the fallen weapon. He set it for stun and fired. The guard slumped to the ground with a moan.  
  
He didn't hesitate as he tossed the blaster aside. He saw that the ship was starting to take off. The hatch was closing.  
  
Running as hard as he could, he kept the hatch in sight. He jumped, using the Force to go higher. He flipped as he got high enough, and his feet landed on the ramp. Aro-Ken waved his arms and managed to keep his balance.  
  
He found Rulm waiting for him.  
  
"I told you to go help them," he said, referring to the other spearsmen.  
  
"Sorry. I couldn't find them," Rulm said.  
  
"Come on. We need to get to the cockpit," Aro-Ken said, beckoning for Rulm to follow him.  
  
As they rounded one of the corners in the long metal corridor, a blaster shot suddenly rang out, followed by a shout. Rulm fell at his side.  
  
"No! Rulm!" Aro-Ken shouted.  
  
He turned and ran at the person who had fired the blaster, who had been hiding in a doorway, and instantly struck him down.  
  
Aro-Ken then turned and ran down the hallway, using the Force to help him find the cockpit. He found the three spearsmen waiting outside the door.  
  
"We're glad you decided to show up! We can't get in! The door is locked!" cried Dom.  
  
"And they shot Sono in the leg!" Sejos said.  
  
"Where's Rulm?" asked Sono.  
  
Sternly, Aro-Ken said, "Rulm was killed."  
  
There was a brief moment of silence.  
  
"I'll get the door. Stand aside," Aro-Ken said.  
  
He turned his lightsaber back on and raised it above his head. He brought it down and jammed it into the door, moving his blade about. It easily sliced through the metal.  
  
Aro-Ken slipped through the hole he'd made and held his lightsaber out in front of him.  
  
Right away the pilot's chair turned around, and the pilot had his hands up. "I surrender! Please, don't kill me!" he cried.  
  
"I'm not going to kill you. Turn this transport around right now," Aro-Ken said, seeing that the transport was facing the planet of Crixxin.  
  
"Yes, right away!" the pilot cried. He grabbed the steering mechanism and turned.  
  
A few minutes later, they landed on Jadda again. "Open the hatch," Aro-Ken instructed the pilot.  
  
He turned to Dom and Sejos. "Go tell everyone to board. We have to leave as soon as possible," he told them.  
  
Instantly the two warriors were gone. The pilot began to rise, but Aro-Ken pointed his lightsaber at him. "You stay here," he ordered.  
  
The pilot allowed himself to whimper and collapse in his chair again. A few minutes later, everyone was aboard the transport, and they were finally on their way back to Crixxin.  
  
*****  
  
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews! 


	12. Chapter Twelve

Disclaimer:  
  
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars  
  
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.  
  
See the difference? 'Nuff said.  
  
AN: I added TWO MORE chapters since I haven't updated for so long! You people are so lucky!  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER TWELVE  
  
Elias awakened Del-Mon early the next morning. He looked very grim, but Del- Mon could still sense determination about him.  
  
They left the building quietly, careful not to wake Wid, who would undoubtedly demand that he accompany Elias.  
  
The streets were still dark and empty, so they walked in the open, still on the lookout for anyone that could turn them in to the authorities.  
  
Occasionally a small group of soldiers who all looked drunk would come bumbling down the street, and they would duck into an alley or an abandoned building until they passed.  
  
As they progressed, people began to come out and fill the streets, and they stayed closer to the alleys, always alert. Del-Mon made sure he could get to his lightsaber quickly if he needed to. Elias had a blaster in a holster strapped around his waist that was concealed by his jacket.  
  
As they made the long trip, they eventually stopped and Del-Mon bought some fruit and water for them to have.  
  
They walked along as they ate, trying to blend in with the crowd. While they ate, Del-Mon quietly asked Elias, "Why can't we just take the sewers?"  
  
"Too risky. There are probably still troops down there, looking for anyone who didn't get out or decided to go back," Elias said.  
  
"How do you intend to get inside the palace?" asked Del-Mon.  
  
"To be perfectly honest I have no idea. When we got in to spring our friends a while ago we just followed the sewers. I have a pretty crazy idea for this time, but I think it might work," Elias said. As he spoke he made hand gestures that had nothing to do with the topic. Del-Mon quickly figured out that he was trying to make it look like they were having an everyday conversation so they would not draw attention to themselves.  
  
Del-Mon nodded and did not say anything more.  
  
As his feet began to ache, Del-Mon noticed a small group of guards out of the corner of his eyes.  
  
"Are you aware that we're being followed?" Del-Mon said in a low tone.  
  
Elias glanced over his shoulder. "I am now," he replied.  
  
A voice from behind them suddenly called, "Hey, you two! Stop there!"  
  
Del-Mon instantly knew whoever it was, they were calling to himself and Elias.  
  
"Bastards," muttered the Atheist.  
  
"Just keep walking. Act like you don't know who they're talking to," Del- Mon said under his breath.  
  
Elias did not reply, but Del-Mon was sure he'd heard.  
  
"Hey! Crixxin police! Stop!" behind them, Del-Mon could hear someone drawing a blaster.  
  
"Run, and whatever you do, don't draw your weapon," Del-Mon instructed Elias.  
  
With those words, he bolted into the morning crowd, running as fast as he could but with grace and agility that was surprising for a man of his size. As he drifted through the crowd, the only disturbance he caused was perhaps the slight shifting of a cloak or stirred a few hairs.  
  
Del-Mon sensed Elias following behind him, not lacking the flexibility Del- Mon had displayed.  
  
After they had run a few blocks, Del-Mon stopped, and a panting Elias came to a halt next to him.  
  
"Well, that was fun," he dryly said.  
  
Del-Mon glanced over his shoulder. "I'm afraid it's not over yet," he said, spotting two or three guards roughly making their way towards them.  
  
"Dammit. Of all times. Do they ever quit?" Elias angrily muttered.  
  
"This way," Del-Mon said. He ducked into an alleyway, and Elias obediently followed.  
  
"Do you know where you're going, Del-Mon?" Elias asked.  
  
"Vaguely. I think I went through here when those guards were chasing me. When I met you," he said.  
  
Elias said nothing more as he followed the Jedi. They walked quickly, knowing it wouldn't be long before the guards spotted them.  
  
"We better go back on the street around here. We should be almost to the palace," Elias said.  
  
"All right," Del-Mon nodded. They went to the edge of the alley and cautiously looked out onto the streets.  
  
"It's clear. Let's go," said Elias.  
  
They casually stepped out of the alley into a large group of passing people. They followed them along until Elias told Del-Mon they were close to the palace.  
  
As they stood on a street corner, Elias trying to quickly find out where they were, Del-Mon spotted more guards on patrol.  
  
Without saying a word he grabbed Elias's sleeve and started to pull him away. Elias did not object, trusting the Jedi's judgement. Del-Mon had no idea where they were going, but he kept walking.  
  
Suddenly, he spotted a transport parked near a shop. People were busily unloading it and bringing the stacks of crates into the shop. To his relief, Del-Mon saw the workers wore no uniforms.  
  
He let go of Elias's sleeve and murmured to him, "Grab a crate from that transport and take it into the building. Act like you work here. Look busy and no one will notice you."  
  
Without a question Elias jumped into the crowd of workers. He lifted a crate labeled juju fruit onto his shoulder and brought it into the building, following the other workers. Del-Mon followed suit.  
  
Del-Mon walked quickly with the crates, trying to position them on his shoulders so they hid his face from the crowd and the guards he knew were about searching for himself and Elias.  
  
Finally, as he came out of the cellar the crates were being stored in, he looked around and saw no more guards. He waited at the doorway, and stopped Elias as he came out.  
  
Wordlessly, they walked away from the transport and down the street.  
  
"Come on. In here," Elias said. He directed Del-Mon into an old building. It was about five stories, and made of red brick. It was crumbling and abandoned. As Del-Mon looked around the interior, he saw it contained nothing, and assumed it had been looted long before he and Elias had got there.  
  
"This way." Elias opened a door and climbed up some stairs. They arrived on a floor covered with old, short walls that had divided office space at one time. Elias began to walk across the room, and Del-Mon followed. He went in and out of the various rooms as Elias did, and they arrived at another flight of stairs.  
  
As they climbed up them, Del-Mon said to Elias, "You know this building well."  
  
"I should."  
  
Del-Mon curiously looked at him.  
  
Elias stopped and turned around to face the Jedi. "It is the building my father ran while he was alive. I came here all the time when I was a boy," he said.  
  
Del-Mon nodded.  
  
"Let's keep going. We need to hurry," Elias said.  
  
They arrived on the rooftop after a few more minutes of walking. Del-Mon looked, and finally saw the outside of the palace for the first time. It was a very large structure, made of a red stone similar to the kind that Elias's father's building was constructed with. There were several windows along the sides. At each of the four corners was a tall tower that gradually narrowed into a point.  
  
"Do you have a cable launcher?" Elias asked Del-Mon.  
  
"Yes," Del-Mon replied, removing it from his belt.  
  
"Good. You're going to need it. Aim for that tree there," Elias said, pointing. He grasped his cable launcher and fired it. The cable went out until it hit a very large, very thick tree within the palace grounds. Del- Mon did the same.  
  
"You'll want a thick piece of metal or cloth to do this," Elias said, removing a short length of thick rope from his pocket.  
  
Del-Mon firmly gripped the sleeve of his tunic and tore a short length of it off.  
  
"Fasten your cable over here and let's go," said Elias. He hooked up the end of the cable he held to the door that led to the roof. Then he turned, looped the rope around his cable, and jumped off the roof.  
  
He slid down the cable easily. Before he saw him land, Del-Mon turned to hook his cable to the door next to Elias's. He made sure he had a tight grasp on the piece of his tunic, and leaped over the edge of the building.  
  
He slid down towards the tree, the wind blowing in his face and pushing his shoulder-length hair out behind him. He felt so free as he shot down the cable. If the current situation weren't so tense, he'd probably be enjoying himself.  
  
Finally, as he neared the tree, Del-Mon put his legs out in front of him, bent them, and prepared for impact with the trunk.  
  
It came surprisingly soft. He released the cable and dropped to the ground, landing effortlessly on his feet.  
  
"Over here!" Elias's voice called to him.  
  
Del-Mon spotted the one-eyed man pressed against a wall, concealing himself behind a square pillar that stuck out from the side of the palace.  
  
"That was a very impressive way of entering," Del-Mon whispered to him as he joined him against the wall.  
  
"It's an Atheist thing," Elias said with a grin.  
  
Del-Mon rolled his eyes.  
  
"Do you want to try and get in at the front gate?" Elias asked him.  
  
"Yes, that would probably work," said Del-Mon.  
  
"Follow me." Elias walked to the edge of the wall by the circular tower and leaned around it.  
  
Instantly he was back at Del-Mon's side. "Damn, there's a guard over there. He's heading this way!"  
  
"Don't worry. I'll handle him," Del-Mon said, striding around the corner. He grabbed Elias's sleeve and pulled him along.  
  
"What the- What are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed?" Elias hissed.  
  
"Trust me," Del-Mon muttered.  
  
"Halt!" the guard said the instant he saw Del-Mon, who put his hands up in surrender.  
  
"Who are you?" asked the guard as he approached the Jedi, his blaster rifle out.  
  
"We are here on official business. We must meet with the king and queen. You will take us to them," Del-Mon said with a quick wave of his hand as he tapped into the guard's mind with the Force.  
  
"I will take you to them," the guard expressionlessly said.  
  
"Good. Thank you very much," Del-Mon pleasantly said.  
  
As the guard led them into the palace, Elias sharply whispered to him, "How in the universe did you do that?"  
  
"It's a Jedi thing," Del-Mon replied with a quick grin of his own.  
  
A few minutes later, they were outside the huge door to the throne room.  
  
The guard entered a few codes at the door, and then it slid open.  
  
"Here we go," Elias muttered.  
  
Taking a deep breath, he followed Del-Mon into the throne room.  
  
*****  
  
So what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, I don't care! I'll read anything! I'm a review freak, I live for reviews! 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Disclaimer

George Lucas: owner of Star Wars

Me: Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.

See the difference? 'Nuff said.

AN: I just kinda realized (2 years later) that I never finished posting this, so I figured what the heck, I'll stick the rest up. Don't really care if it gets reviews or not since I don't write Star Wars anymore, but any that I do get would still be appreciated. Enjoy!

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Crixxin was growing bigger and bigger in the large viewport in the cockpit. Aro-Ken still sat in the copilot's seat, making sure the pilot didn't try anything.

"Aro-Ken?" a voice said.

He instantly turned. "Yes, Mattan?"

"You said I should tell you about my father while we were on the ship," Mattan said.

"You're right, I almost forgot! Hey, Dom?" Aro-Ken said, turning to the large man who had been idly standing near the doorway.

"Yeah?" Dom replied in a deep voice.

"Watch him for a moment," Aro-Ken said, gesturing to the nervous pilot. "I need to talk to Mattan."

"You got it, Aro-Ken," Dom said. The big black man grabbed his spear and held it so he was sure the pilot could see it as he allowed himself to fall into the copilot's chair.

The pilot whimpered slightly, but kept his eyes on the viewport.

Aro-Ken followed Mattan into a small side chamber, where they sat down.

"All right, Mattan, I don't think we'll be interrupted here. Now, what do you remember about your father? Just tell me anything you can think of," Aro-Ken said.

"OK… He was tall, really tall. He had green eyes that always shone when he looked at me. His voice… His voice was low and sounded mean sometimes, but never when he talked to me. Then it was nice. Uh… His hair was red, and he had a beard. A short beard, not a long one," Mattan said, pausing constantly to think.

"His name, do you remember his name?" asked Aro-Ken.

Mattan thought hard, his face contorted with intense concentration, but he sadly shook his head.

"No."

"Do you know if he was… rich?" Aro-Ken tried.

"Yeah. He didn't live with me and Mom. I can remember he'd come to where me and my mom were at night, and then he'd only stay for a while before he left again. He never said where he went," said Mattan.

"How about… His job? Do you know what his job was?"

Mattan shook his head again. "He never said. I'll bet Mom knows."

Aro-Ken nodded. "Is that all you know? Can you remember anything else?" he hopefully asked. He wanted to know everything about the boy, hoping he could find out why he had been on Jadda or who he'd inherited his Force talents from.

The young boy thought deeply. "I've got it! I think I remember his name! My father's name was-"

"Mattan!"

Both Aro-Ken and Mattan instantly turned to the door, and saw Dahna standing there. She did not look very happy with her son.

"Mattan, what were you telling him?" asked Dahna.

"About Father," Mattan quietly said.

"Didn't I ask you to never tell anyone about your father?" Dahna asked.

Mattan nodded. "But Aro-Ken won't tell anyone! He's nice!"

"Mattan, I said no. Come on," Dahna strictly said.

Mattan dejectedly rose and followed his mother.

Aro-Ken sat there a moment, and then jogged after them. "Dahna!… Dahna! Please, just listen to me!"

Dahna froze and turned around. "No, Aro-Ken, you listen to me! There are many, many people who would undoubtedly try to kill me and Mattan if they knew who his father was! I know you're not one of them, but I do know that there is a big chance that you will tell someone who will. I do not want anyone to know."

She firmly grasped Mattan's arm and kept walking.

Aro-Ken jogged and caught up. He ducked around Mattan, and positioned himself firmly between Dahna and the doorway she had been about to go through.

"Tell me, Dahna, did you really like your life on Jadda? Do you think it will be much better on Crixxin if Mattan has no father? Do you really want that for him?" asked Aro-Ken.

"It is better than being dead," Dahna flatly said.

"Dahna, I can help you much more than you think if I know who your husband is. Please, tell me," Aro-Ken said, looking into her eyes.

Dahna looked at Aro-Ken for a moment, and then down at her son, who was also gazing at her with an intense yet pleading look.

"All right. But come inside this room. I don't want anyone to overhear," Dahna said.

Aro-Ken instantly obeyed, jamming the door after he, Mattan, and Dahna were all inside.

"To begin with, I was not married to Mattan's father. He was married to another woman. Mattan's father's name was… Anjos. King Anjos," Dahna said.

Aro-Ken's eyebrows rose. Mattan's father was the king?

"I worked in the palace for several years. I was a cook, and often served the king his meals. After dinner, he would occasionally catch me in the halls and talk to me, and we would walk through the palace. After a while, I realized he loved me, and I felt the same for him, even though he was married all ready and had a son of his own.

"Anjos started calling me to his chamber when he needed nothing. We would sit on his bed and talk for hours. Each time we fell more and more in love with each other. It wasn't long before we saw each other all the time. And then after one night with him, I discovered I was pregnant.

"I told Anjos, and we both thought it would be best if I stopped working at the palace. He told everyone I was very ill and had to leave my job. So I bought a small home in the city, and Anjos sent me money and visited me secretly all the time. When Mattan was born, he came every night," said Dahna.

"I remember! He used to sit on my bed and hold me on his lap and bounce me on his knee and talk to me and you! I remember him!" Mattan cried.

Dahna nodded, tears in her eyes. "Yes. That's exactly what he did for three years. That's when the Prime Ministers grew suspicious. They had noticed him casually leaving the palace, making up an excuse each time. So they followed him. They saw Mattan and myself. They discovered I was an Atheist. They knew everything, and they blackmailed Anjos, threatening to expose us to the planet and his wife if he did not do as they wished. Anjos gave in to their wishes for a while, and then came and talked to me. I said that it would be better for him and the rest of the planet if I left, and he reluctantly agreed. So he paid off some guards and got Mattan and myself passage on a transport to Jadda. I haven't heard from him since," Dahna finally finished.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence.

"Thank you for telling me, Dahna. I promise you, I won't tell anyone," Aro-Ken said.

"Thank you," Dahna quietly replied.

"When we get to Crixxin, what are you going to do?" asked Aro-Ken.

"I don't know. I think it would be best for Anjos if I didn't live in Crixx. I believe my mother lives in Delbron," said Dahna.

"You don't want to see Anjos?" asked Aro-Ken.

"No. It would only complicate things," said Dahna.

"Dahna, things will work out. I promise you they will. I know that I can get you and Mattan inside the palace. You can see Anjos again. The only man you've loved," Aro-Ken said, desperately wanting to help. He felt that he owed it to Mattan.

Dahna stared at the ground for a moment. "I'll consider it," she finally said before rising and walking out of the room.

The instant the door closed behind her, a voice over the intercom said, "We're about to land on Crixxin, everyone. Aro-Ken, you better get to the cockpit."

"You can come with me," Aro-Ken said to Mattan as he rose. He felt closer to the boy after learning about his father.

Mattan followed Aro-Ken the best he could as he made his way through the crowd of villagers and to the cockpit.

"What will happen when we get to Crixxin?" Mattan asked over the bustle of the crowd.

"I'm not sure. Your mother said she was going to try and find your grandmother. But she said she might see your father first," Aro-Ken replied.

"Father," Mattan softly said. "I haven't seen him in five years. What if he doesn't remember me?"

"He'll remember you. Trust me," Aro-Ken replied.

"I trust you," Mattan said.

They entered the cockpit, and saw that they were flying above the city of Crixx, searching for a landing pad. Aro-Ken could faintly see the streets, which were deserted.

"That's odd. There's no one outside," Aro-Ken commented.

"This doesn't look good," said Dom, who still sat in the copilot's chair.

"Something doesn't feel right. Pilot, land away from the palace. This could mean something very, very bad is about to happen," Aro-Ken said.

He switched on the intercom. "Everyone, this is Aro-Ken. We're going to land in the capital city, Crixx. If you lived in another city, I can try and arrange for another transport to take you there later, but I can't guarantee anything. When we arrive, there may be a conflict going on. I advise all of you to stay out of it and seek shelter. Thank you, that's all for now."

He could hear people murmuring and talking from beyond the door. He looked out the viewport. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mattan pacing the cockpit, gazing with fascination at all the buttons and dials, but didn't touch anything. He was very controlled for a boy his age.

"Right there. That looks good," Aro-Ken said, pointing to a flat stretch of land. He assumed there had once been a building there, but had been bombed and destroyed.

The large shuttle touched down. There was a loud hiss as the hatch opened, and the sound of hurrying footsteps as the passengers hurried off.

As Aro-Ken turned to the door, he sensed the pilot rising. "You stay here. You have to go back for the rest of the villagers," he called over his shoulder.

As he opened the door, Aro-Ken found the Pair of Pirates, Sono and Sejos, waiting for him.

"We'll keep an eye on the pilot and get the rest of the people from Jadda," said Sejos.

"All right. Thank you," Aro-Ken said.

"Don't mention it," the twins said in unison.

Dom and Mattan followed Aro-Ken as he walked confidently down the metal hallways and out the hatch onto the Crixxin surface.

He found all the villagers at the bottom, milling about uncertainly, all of them unsure of what to do.

Aro-Ken took a deep breath. "Everyone, thank you for going along with this and making it work. I advise you all to get off the streets. If you have loved ones coming on the second transport, you can remain here. I sense a disturbance around here," he looked over the crowd. "May the Force be with you."

Instantly, the crowd began to bustle about. It seemed everyone wanted to go in a different direction. The transport lifted off quickly, and was out of sight in no time. Within a few minutes, the lot was empty except for Aro-Ken, Mattan, and Dahna.

"I have decided. Mattan and I will come with you to the palace to see Anjos," said Dahna.

Aro-Ken smiled at her. "Good. The palace is this way, as I remember," he said.

They followed him through the winding streets, trying to stay close to the alleys incase they needed to hide themselves quickly.

Aro-Ken would occasionally glance at the laser signs on the street corners for reference.

"It should be just up here…" Aro-Ken said at last as they rounded a corner. Instantly he froze.

They had found the palace all right. But so had hundreds of other people, who were all charging at each other the moment they arrived. They instantly became locked in furious combat.

The sounds of blaster fire filled the air, and the smell of smoke hung over all. People were falling left and right. In the huge mob, Aro-Ken could see blasters, vibroblades, electro-jabbers, and various other weapons. There were guards and civilians both.

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion to one side. They were using grenades now.

As he stared at the bloody battle with his eyes wide, Aro-Ken muttered, "This won't be good."

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	14. Chapter Fourteen

Disclaimer

George Lucas- owner of Star Wars

Me- Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.

See the different? 'Nuff said.

-----

In a dazed, almost dreamy voice, the guard said, "Your Majesties, someone to see you."

Del-Mon briefly looked around him, and saw that the room was very large and very tall. At the far end were two golden thrones. Along one wall there were several large windows. The room itself had very light pink tiling on the floor. The walls were a light, creamy orange, and every three or four meters there was a large pink pillar against the wall. Where the pillars met the floor and ceiling, they were circled with gold.

The woman Del-Mon assumed was the queen was sitting on one of the broad windowsills, gazing out the window. The king was seated in the golden throne, and the moment the door opened he faced it.

"Who are they?" asked the king.

Del-Mon respectfully bowed. "Your Majesty, my name is Del-Mon Wesia. I am one of the Jedis that was supposed to meet with you three days ago, but an… Unexpected chain of events cancelled our meeting," he said.

The queen instantly rose and looked at him, her face showing pure joy.

"You are the Jedi Knight?" she asked.

"Yes, Your Highness, I am," replied Del-Mon.

"And what of your companion? Who is he?" asked King Anjos.

"My name is Elias, You Majesty. I am the leader of the Atheists, and currently find myself at the top of Prime Minister Darmick's hit list," Elias said, bowing briefly.

"Darmick's hit list?" Leckura curiously asked.

"Oh yeah, Darmick hates me. The whole Atheist thing just doesn't click with him," Elias said.

"Del-Mon, would you mind telling us why you have arrived three days late and without your apprentice?" asked King Anjos.

Del-Mon instantly began to explain their inhospitable arrival at the gate to Crixx and how Aro-Ken had been forced to fight the Gripfang. He freely announced how the guards were going to shoot him, how he'd escaped and nearly gotten killed getting out, and how he'd met Elias. When he reached the part about the attack on the sewers, the queen's eyes went wide and her hand flew to her mouth.

"You mean… The Atheists were attacked?" she asked in shock.

"You were not aware of this raid?" asked Del-Mon.

"No, not at all!" cried Leckura.

"Nor I. But… That treaty we signed must have allowed him to do it. I didn't read if fully, but I'll bet anything that it stated something that made that raid legal!" cried King Anjos.

"What treaty might this be?" asked Del-Mon.

"Prime Minister Darmick blackmailed me in order to get me to sign a treaty that allowed him to kill all the Atheists," Anjos muttered, sheepishly.

"Blackmailed? Why that dirty, low-down, good for nothing, piece of-"

"There is no need for language, Elias," Del-Mon chided him just in time.

"Well it's true," Elias muttered.

"I was also blackmailed by Darmick, though I have no doubt that Talno was not," said Leckura.

"So you were both blackmailed?" asked Del-Mon.

King Anjos uncomfortably shifted in his chair. "Er, yes."

A nervous look came to Leckura's face as she nodded.

Del-Mon put his hands up. "I won't ask any further."

Leckura looked at him for a moment. "Del-Mon, where is your apprentice? I was informed that he would be accompanying you on this mission," she said.

"I honestly do not know where he is, or if he is even alive. When I escaped from the guards in the barracks, they said his body was on a transport for Jadda," said Del-Mon.

"Ah, Jadda is the moon of Crixxin," Anjos said.

"So I've heard. But I still do not know if he's dead. My feelings tell me that Aro-Ken is alive," Del-Mon confidently said.

"I am sure you're right. But in the meantime, we must figure out a way to settle this conflict once and for all," said Leckura.

"I agree," said King Anjos.

"Yeah, same here," Elias put in.

"Good. Now that we're all on the same page, I'd like to hear both sides of the story. Elias, just tell me where you stand in this conflict," said Del-Mon.

"Well, to begin with I think Darmick is an-"

"Elias, please, just where you stand on the battles," Del-Mon said.

Elias sighed. "Fine. I happen to think that the fights are horrible and ought to stop. I'm all for a compromise to stop it all. You know, just a contract or something that says we can all do what we want with our religion. And that son of a-"

"Please, Elias, there is a lady present. Hold your tongue," Del-Mon interrupted.

"Fine, that _rat_ Darmick should be thrown in prison for the rest of his life," said Elias.

"Thank you. And you, Your Majesties?" Del-Mon turned to Anjos and Leckura.

"I have the same opinions Elias does. We should peacefully end the conflict," said Leckura.

"Exactly. This war shouldn't be any bloodier than it is all ready. It has to stop," said Anjos.

"Well, since you all agree, I see no reason why I was called here. I suggest you come up with a way to convince the soldiers and Antigod that there is a way to compromise," said Del-Mon.

"Quite right. Who had a datapad?" asked Elias.

"I do," King Anjos said, pulling out a data pad from within the sleeves of his robes. "What first?"

"Darmick is a-" Elias began, but froze at a menacing look from Del-Mon. "A… _Scoundrel_, and should go to prison for life."

"Let's make that sound a little better. Those who attempt to do serious harm to a race or belief shall be put in jail for life. Those who violate the rights of free Crixxians shall be put in jail…" the list went on.

All Del-Mon had to do was watch, and butt in when Elias was about to say something inappropriate.

Finally, they decided they had enough. Anjos, Leckura, and Elias all signed it, and then looked at each other.

"This has been too easy," Elias said.

"How could I forget? We'll need Darmick's signature to make this treaty legal," Anjos said.

"All right, let's go find him," Elias said, finally not making an attempt to curse.

As they left the throne room, Del-Mon spoke up. "You're going to need to convince Talno and the army that this treaty is a good idea. And have you given any thought as to what Darmick will do when you show him this treaty? He'll probably blackmail you both again."

"I have decided not to care about it anymore. The planet is more important than me," Anjos said.

"What about your son?" asked Del-Mon.

"Little brat," Elias muttered.

"Please, Elias. Not now," Del-Mon said.

Elias fell silent.

"I honestly don't know if I can convince Talno to sign it, or to agree with it for that matter. He's not going to listen if I order him to," Anjos said.

"There will still be people who won't agree with the treaty and want all those against them to die," said Del-Mon.

"Yes, I'm sure there are. But we will resolve them eventually, as peacefully as possible," said Leckura.

Del-Mon nodded. "I have no doubts that you will succeed."

"Thank you," Leckura said, smiling at him.

They arrived at Darmick's private quarters shortly, and Anjos jammed his thumb on the intercom button. "Darmick! Darmick, open this door right now!" he shouted.

He paused, and received no reply. Quickly, he took a passcard from his belt and swiped it in a slot above the door controls. Instantly the door slid open.

"Darmick?" called Anjos, stepping inside.

There was no answer.

Anjos disappeared as he walked into another room, and came out again. "He's not in here," Anjos said.

"Damn," Elias muttered.

Del-Mon gave Elias a warning look, and then said, "Well, where else would he be?"

"The barracks probably," Anjos said.

"Well, that's where we're headed," Del-Mon said.

Anjos and Leckura immediately took the lead, walking down the twisting, elaborate corridors.

All of a sudden, there was an explosion from outside. Del-Mon instantly activated his lightsaber, spinning around to be sure there was no one coming down the corridors.

"Quick, to the balcony! We can see outside!" cried Anjos.

They instantly took off, following Anjos.

He threw open the door to the large balcony that overlooked the palace grounds, and they ran outside.

Del-Mon looked down, and saw that a section of the energy shield around the palace had been deactivated. Standing in the city streets was a huge crowd of people, dressed in old clothing and armed with blasters, vibroblades, and several other weapons. Some of them hovered slightly above the heads of the others on old, battered swoops and speeder bikes.

Del-Mon recognized them as the Atheists. Except their numbers had more than doubled, almost tripled, since he'd first seen them. They looked ready to kill.

In front of them was a large crater, where Del-Mon assumed they had blown something up to alert the Crixxian troops.

Directly below the balcony, on the palace grounds, was a huge group of royal soldiers, wearing blast armor bearing the Crixxian symbol. They all had blaster rifles and several reloading cartridges strapped to their sides.

"This does _not_ look good," said Elias.

In the crowd of Atheists, someone began to rise out of it. Del-Mon saw that whoever it was, they were on an old speeder bike. A voice rang out, magnified several times.

"Atheists, the time has come for us to regain our freedom!"

"Elias, it appears you are not the leader of the Atheists anymore," Anjos said.

Elias did not reply.

"Come! With these numbers, we are sure to win! Atheists from all over the planet have united here for one cause: To destroy the Crixxian religion once and for all!" shouted the person on the speeder bike.

Elias's eyes grew wide. He jumped onto the large railing on the balcony. "DANYA! _What the hell do you think you're doing_?!" he roared.

Del-Mon reached out with the Force, and discovered that the person on the speeder bike was indeed Danya.

Instantly, the speeder bike flew over and stopped a few feet from the balcony.

"Ah, brother, meeting with the king and queen, are we?" asked Danya in a mocking voice.

"Danya, what is the meaning of this?" Elias demanded.

"Your people seem to have sided with me. After that attack, they have all agreed that Crixxians must die. As soon as you left this morning, I sent out a call for all Atheists to get her as fast as possible, and they seem to have listened to me. And there are more coming. The Crixxian religion went too far when they attacked us! Now it will go off the planet _permanently_," Danya said.

"No! Danya, we can compromise, dammit! We have a treaty that I have signed to grant religious freedom!" cried Elias.

"It's too late for that, Elias. Crixxian will be gone before the day is out!" Danya turned, and saw Del-Mon. "Ah, so you're here too. Meeting with the king and queen, who, as I recall, are Crixxians," she said.

"Danya, we can settle this if you would only listen!" Del-Mon cried.

Danya shook her head. "No. It's too late."

Before anyone could say anything more, Danya turned her speeder bike to face her followers. "If the Crixxians have no last words, we are ready!" she yelled.

"Wait! We do!" a voice from the army below called.

"Then hurry!" yelled Danya.

Del-Mon and the others looked down at the Crixxian army.

"As Prime Minister of the Crixxian religion, I would like to simply say that today, all Atheists shall die, the king and queen included!" roared a voice from below.

King Anjos shouted, "Darmick! What is the meaning of this?!"

"Darmick! That piece of-" Elias tried to sneak in another curse, but Del-Mon glared at him. "_Filth_," he said, frowning.

"Ah, hello, Your Majesty! I'm simply doing what's best for the planet. Our beautiful Crixxin will be much better without Atheists! So now I say it! DEATH TO THE ATHEISTS!" Prime Minister Darmick roared from below. There was a great cheer from the Crixxians.

"Mother, Father, I'm sorry, but I agree with Darmick! All Atheists must die!" shouted another voice.

"Talno! Stop this foolishness at once!" yelled King Anjos.

"Darmick is right, Father! The Atheists have to die!" yelled Talno.

"No! Talno-" began Anjos.

"Kill the Atheists now! CHARGE!" roared Talno's voice.

Instantly, with a roar, the guards that weren't armed with blasters charged forward, the ones with blasters staying behind.

"Go, Atheists! It is our hour!" shouted Danya.

"NOOO!" roared Elias. He instantly dove off the balcony and onto his sister's speeder bike.

"Elias!" cried Del-Mon.

Below them, the two armies clashed. Blaster fire rang out, drowning out all sounds except for screams that lingered in the air.

Suddenly, a laser blast hit balcony right at Anjos's feet. Anjos jumped back.

Del-Mon looked up, and saw metal gleaming. It was the barrel of a blaster rifle.

"There are snipers on the roof! Get inside!" yelled Del-Mon, charging back through the doors as more shots were fired at the balcony.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Del-Mon suddenly saw a group of soldiers heading down the hallway towards them, all of them armed.

"Run!" shouted Del-Mon.

Instantly Anjos took off, Leckura and Del-Mon following him.

Del-Mon knew that the situation was pretty much hopeless.

-----


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Disclaimer

George Lucas: Owner of Star Wars

Me: Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.

See the difference? 'Nuff said.

-----

Right after the words had left Aro-Ken's lips, a grenade came hurtling out of the fighting mob towards them.

"Get out of the way!" cried Aro-Ken.

He grabbed Mattan's arm and pulled him back around the corner, the bomb exploding just as Dahna followed him.

"What are we going to do?" Dahna asked him above the roar of the battle.

"I don't know! There's no way we can get inside the palace like this! Let's get out of here!" Aro-Ken said.

Instantly Dahna began to follow him as he turned around, but suddenly he froze. Aro-Ken felt something around him. He spun around.

"My master is in there! He's in danger!" Aro-Ken cried, facing the palace.

He looked down a Mattan's hopeful face.

"Come on. We're going to find another way in," Aro-Ken said with a new determination. He instantly began to walk away from the battle, looking around intently, searching for a way inside the palace grounds.

As he walked about, he saw that the energy shield was up and running all around the palace except for where the two groups were fighting.

"There's no way in. We'll have to come back when the fighting stops," said Dahna.

"No. There is always another way," Aro-Ken said, quoting his master.

Confidently he strode around the grounds, Mattan and Dahna cautiously following him.

He started to get nervous as they began to approach the battle once more. They had walked all around the palace, and hadn't found a single way in.

As they got too close to the fighting, Aro-Ken darted behind one of the large metal posts that covered the shield generators.

He sighed in frustration, turning to Dahna and Mattan. "I don't think there is a way inside."

"No, there has to be! What about your lightsaber?" cried Mattan.

"I'm sorry, Mattan, but lightsabers can't cut energy like this," Aro-Ken said. He looked around one last time. "Come on, we better get out of here before the fighting moves."

As they began to slink away, Mattan froze.

"Mattan, hurry! They'll see us!" Dahna called to him.

"Mom, Aro-Ken, come back here quickly! I have an idea!" the boy excitedly cried.

Aro-Ken was at his side in an instant. "What is it?"

"We can take one of the swoops and fly up to a window! Come on, they keep landing over there!" Mattan excitedly cried, pointing.

Looking around one last time, Aro-Ken saw no other way. "All right. Stay here, I'll come back and pick you up," he said, jogging towards where the Atheists' swoops and speeder bikes were refueling, making sure to keep a safe distance away from the battle.

He stopped and crouched behind a large trash receptacle, cautiously surveying the scene. He saw that there were three or four swoops and a speeder bike refueling. They weren't heavily guarded, just by their riders and two other guards.

Aro-Ken rose and strode towards them firmly, his brown robe flapping about him.

"Hold it! Who are you?" one of the guards said, aiming his blaster rifle at Aro-Ken's chest as he approached.

"Hey, hey, I'm one of you! My bike got shot down back there. I'll need another bike," Aro-Ken said with a small wave of his hand, using the Force to alter the man's mind.

"You'll need another bike," said the guard.

"Right. This one will do," Aro-Ken said, pointing to the swoop closest to him, slightly waving his other hand as he continued to use the Force.

"This one will do," repeated the guard, gesturing to the same swoop.

"Thank you," Aro-Ken said. He hopped on the swoop, started it up, and instantly took off before the other guards could make any objections.

He made his way back to Dahna and Mattan cautiously, flying quickly and occasionally turning sharply so he would look like any other fighter.

He landed, cautiously looking back and forth. No one was watching. "OK, what I'm going to do is take you both to the palace and let you in through one of the upper windows, and then land by one below it and come in. If I leave it hovering by the window you go through, someone will know and follow us. Now hurry, I can only take one of you at a time. This thing only sits two," said Aro-Ken, looking over his shoulder to be sure they weren't spotted.

"I'll go first. Mattan, stay right here," Dahna said.

Mattan made no objection.

"All right, get on," Aro-Ken said to Dahna.

As they took off, Aro-Ken explained to her, "Wherever Del-Mon is, he's probably with Anjos and his wife. I'm going to drop you off closest to where I think he is, and then go back for Mattan," said Aro-Ken.

"All right, but please hurry!" Dahna called to him.

Aro-Ken reached out with the Force. He could feel his master's presence. Without thinking, he went where the Force told him to, coming closer to Del-Mon.

A moment later, Aro-Ken carefully stopped and turned the swoop sideways, moving it in towards the palace until it was less than a foot away. They had stopped near a tower, at the very top window.

"Can you reach it?" asked Aro-Ken, nodding to the window.

"Yes, I can try," said Dahna.

Aro-Ken watched, getting ready to grab her if she fell. Dahna rose and got her feet on the same side of the swoop. She got one foot out, and placed it on the windowsill, straddling the gap.

Out of the corner of his eye, Aro-Ken suddenly spotted another swoop coming towards them.

"Hey, what are you doing?" shouted a voice.

"Go!" Aro-Ken cried.

Instantly Dahna jumped and pulled herself through the window frame.

"I'll be back with Mattan!" he called as he instantly gunned the engine and shot away, the other swoop hot on his tail.

He heard blaster shots from behind him, and knew there was no way he could pick up Mattan with the person after him.

He shoved the swoop down, and it blazed towards the ground. At the last minute he pulled up, hovering just slightly above the ground.

Some blaster shots hit the dirt right next to the swoop, and Aro-Ken could hear the other swoop pursuing him. He did a few neat barrel rolls and weaved in and out of the trees, but found his skills were evenly matched with the other rider.

As he skillfully piloted the swoop about the many trees on the palace ground, he suddenly got an idea.

He looked back, and moved his swoop so he was directly in front of the other person, preventing them from seeing ahead.

Aro-Ken went faster, knowing how risky it was to stay in front of the other person like that. He looked ahead, and saw what he had been hoping to find.

Straight ahead of him, about a hundred meters, he saw a tree with a thick, low, overhanging branch. Aro-Ken slightly eased the controls up, getting his chest level with the branch.

He glanced over his shoulder, and saw the other rider did the same thing, unaware of the branch.

Aro-Ken increased his speed again, going faster and faster. He could hardly keep his eyes opened. He squinted, his vision blurring.

As the tree was just about to collide with the front of his swoop, he jammed down hard on the steering controls and then pulled back up, going neatly under the branch and then back into the air. He came so close he could feel the leaves on the tree brush his hair.

As he rocketed away, he glanced over his shoulder, and saw the other rider as the tree branch hit him in the chest. He was knocked to the ground, his unmanned swoop still shooting forward.

Aro-Ken sharply turned around to pick up Mattan, and heard an explosion behind him as the driverless craft collided with the palace's energy shield.

He sighed in relief as he shot over the battle, weaving in and out of the other swoops and more trees.

Finally, about halfway across the battle scene, he spotted Mattan. But he wasn't the only one who had. Three other people had Mattan surrounded.

As one of his hands slammed down on the accelerator, Aro-Ken started to grab his lightsaber with the other.

He saw Mattan begin to run towards the alleys, and Aro-Ken began to steer in the same direction.

When he cleared the battle, he steered the swoop down over the wall and landed it, jumping off of it instantly and taking off after Mattan and his pursuers. He activated his lightsaber, and the bright blue blade was a blur as he ran.

Looking ahead, he saw the swift boy had ducked into an alley. Aro-Ken ran harder, refusing to tire. He had to save Mattan.

He bolted into the alley, rapidly catching up.

All of the sudden they ran into a dead end. Instantly the three people, obviously unaware of Aro-Ken's presence, began to close in on Mattan.

Aro-Ken kept running towards them, his lightsaber ready. With a cry of rage he stopped running and jumped as hard as he could, flipping and landing on the other side of the people after Mattan.

Instantly he stepped forward, and slashed his lightsaber clear through the barrel of a man's blaster. He heard a vibroblade on his right, and he spun around to face it, easily blocking the shorter weapon's attack.

Mattan on the other hand had used his pursuers' moment of confusion to his advantage, diving at one's legs and knocking him off his feet.

There was an old metal pole on the ground, and Mattan grabbed it, quickly using it to block the other man's vibroblade as he attacked with it.

Aro-Ken had the man's vibroblade on the ground in under a minute, and had his lightsaber aimed at his throat. "Get out of here," he snapped.

Instantly the man obeyed.

Mattan was jumping and moving very agilely, blocking every attack with his pole. Aro-Ken noted that his skill was very great.

After watching a brief instant, he knew they had to get back to Dahna, and stepped into the battle. He disarmed the man easily with his more powerful weapon, and calmly instructed him to leave. The man obeyed without hesitation.

The young Jedi sighed in relief. "Come on, your mother is waiting for us," he said.

Aro-Ken was about to turn around, but suddenly froze. Someone was behind them, he could sense it. And it definitely wasn't an ally of theirs.

He faintly heard the sound of a gun caulking, and he instantly spun back around, his lightsaber out again.

He found two people at the entrance to the alley, and Aro-Ken recognized both of them, one from the holofiles he and Del-Mon had been given before they left the Jedi Temple for Crixxin. It was Prince Talno, who sided with Prime Minister Darmick and the Crixxians. Aro-Ken sensed anger emanating in the Force around him.

Talno looked to be about one or two years older than Aro-Ken, and possibly stronger as well. His hair was blazing red, and his eyes were a deep hazel color. He was armed with a large blaster pistol.

The other person at his side was the same woman who had tried to deny them entrance to Crixxin when he'd first landed with Del-Mon. It was the woman with long, jet-black hair and cloudy light blue eyes. She carried with her a small vibro-ax.

Aro-Ken had barely finished observing all this when Talno fired. The young Jedi easily deflected the shot, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't all be that easy.

"Mattan, be careful! Try to get out of here!" Aro-Ken cried as he jumped to the side to avoid another blast and deflecting second.

Mattan quickly looked around, but saw there was no way to do this. The woman seemed to have other plans in store for him as she advanced, bringing up her vibro-ax to attack.

Aro-Ken tried to jump around as much as he could, knowing it would be more difficult for Talno to hit a moving target. His blue lightsaber looked like an opaque circle as he spun it around, deflecting every shot he could and moving to avoid those he couldn't.

The young boy, on the other hand, was having a considerably greater amount of difficulty handling his foe considering that a metal rod would be no use against a vibro-ax. All he could do was jump, roll, duck, dive, and run to avoid getting slashed.

"_We have to get back to Dahna," _Aro-Ken thought as he jumped, planted his feet on the nearest wall, and flipped over. His feet hit the ground and he was instantly expertly swinging his weapon again, making it look like a radiant blue shield that encircled him. Aro-Ken did all this while moving a bit closer to Talno at a time.

The vibro-ax fell once more, lodging in the ground where Mattan's feet had been a split second earlier. He was getting tired, and the woman wasn't going to let up any time soon. Mattan knew there was no point in trying to get around her. He would still have to get past Talno if he wanted to get out of the alley.

Finally, when Aro-Ken was less than three meters from Talno, he jumped as hard as he could, flying through the air and allowing himself to flip as he did. He landed right in front of the prince, and swung his lightsaber at his head before the older man could react.

At the same instant, Mattan also jumped, but failed to realize that the woman had feigned an attack before it was too late. He landed to find that he was in a corner, with nowhere to run and a vibro-ax coming at his neck.

At the last possible second, Aro-Ken maneuvered his lightsaber swiftly, twisting it so the hilt struck Talno in the head, knocking him unconscious. A small trail of blood ran from his skull.

Exactly when he was turning back to Mattan, he heard the boy shout long and hard. His eyes saw a brief flash of the woman about to behead the child, but that was all that was needed.

Before he even realized his brain had ordered the action, Aro-Ken's hand shot out towards the limp form of Prince Talno. He used the Force to call the fallen man's blaster to his hand, setting it to STUN with his thumb as he deftly aimed at the woman's back. He pulled the trigger, and the large blue blast hit her square between the shoulder blades, making her fall limply to the ground. The vibro-ax fell from her hand at the same time.

Aro-Ken and Mattan both let out their breath, realizing that they had been holding it in at the same time.

Their eyes locked for an instant, and Aro-Ken quickly said, "Let's go."

He and Mattan ran for the swoop, stopping and getting on. Aro-Ken instantly started it up and they took off.

The trip there was uneventful as Aro-Ken steered about the other swoops and speeder bikes, finally stopping at the window.

"Go, Mattan, hurry!" cried Aro-Ken.

Mattan quickly got one leg on the windowsill and the other on the swoop.

From within the tower, Dahna grabbed her son's arm and helped him inside.

"Both of you try and stay here! I'll be with you as soon as I-" Aro-Ken didn't get to finished his sentence. He was abruptly cut off as a laser bolt hit then engine of the swoop. It coughed and instantly died.

Aro-Ken still clung to the swoop as it went down, spiraling out of control. At the last second, he managed to push his legs off the swoop, and he jumped clear. The swoop hit the ground and burst into flames.

Before he could get on his feet again, a vibro-ax fell towards his chest from above. Quickly Aro-Ken rolled aside, and the ax was lodged into the ground.

He jumped to his feet, igniting his lightsaber again. Instantly he swung it at the vibro-ax as the person brought it down towards his head.

The lightsaber cut clear through the handle of the vibro-ax, and the blade fell to the earth. Instantly his opponent disappeared into the battle, and a blaster shot hit the dirt inches from Aro-Ken's right foot.

He sensed a laser behind him and spun around, angling his lightsaber blade so that the laser would go up when he deflected it.

Something came hurtling above the heads of the other fighters and landed at Aro-Ken's feet. He recognized it immediately as a thermal detonator.

Right away Aro-Ken turned and bolted into the crowd, not caring which direction he was going.

There was an explosion from behind him. He heard screams. The grass was on fire.

Suddenly, there was a creaking, crunching sound behind him. Aro-Ken whirled around, and saw one of the massive trees was falling down to the battle, and the thick trunk was going to land right where he was standing. Instantly he dove aside in to the crowd, rolling on the ground.

He jumped up immediately, and heard screams and a violent crash as the tree hit the ground.

Frantically looking around, he couldn't tell where he was. There were too many people. He spotted the huge red stone structure to one side, and began to slip through the crowd towards it.

Just as he staggered out of the huge battle, a laser hit the dirt right next to him. He knew instantly the bolt had been meant for him.

His head quickly turned, and he saw three guards in heavy blast armor coming towards him.

Right away he held his lightsaber coolly in front of himself, deflecting the lasers easily.

He hit one guard in the leg, and another fell, a laser embedded in his chest.

The final one Aro-Ken proceeded to move gradually closer to, the guard not seeming to notice or care. Finally, after hitting a bolt away, Aro-Ken lunged forward, neatly cleaving the blaster rifle in half and striking the guard in the back with his weapon. The blow dented and cracked the man's armor, and he fell to the ground.

Aro-Ken instantly turned and ran for the palace as fast as he could. He suddenly heard small explosions and felt dirt showering his legs. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted a speeder bike flying after him, firing lasers from its mounted cannons.

Aro-Ken ran faster, darting in and out of the trees until he finally spotted a window on the wall.

The distance between it and the ground was at least twice his height, but he kept running.

Quickly, he jumped, using the Force to go higher. His fingers closed around the windowsill. Kicking with his feet, he pulled himself up and through the window, finally inside the palace.

- - -

As the troops charged at each other, Elias gave a cry of rage and dove from the balcony, landing on the speeder bike.

"Danya, don't do this! Call them off now!" he shouted at his sister.

"No! I should have done this a long time ago! The other Atheists agree with me! We can't sit around and wait for the Crixxians to strike again! We must fight back!" said Danya.

"No! The king and queen and I have just finished a treaty! It will resolve these conflicts and take power from the Prime Ministers and give it back to the people! We don't need to fight to settle this!"

"Brother, do not oppose me. As far as I am concerned, you are with me or the Crixxians. Chose a side," snarled Danya.

Elias glared at her. "I will not choose a side, because neither one it right. Violence is not the answer!" he shouted.

"You're wrong, Elias!" Danya said.

"No, you've got it backwards. It is you who is wrong. How do you think our father would have handled this? Did he ever try and kill a Crixxian? Did he ever once think of genocide?" asked Elias.

"Brother, do not oppose me. I must help _my_ people. Get off the bike," she said calmly.

"No," Elias sternly said.

"Do not toy with me, brother. Get _off_ the bike!" Danya said, more forcefully.

Elias kept his eyes locked with hers.

"I warn you for the last time. Get _OFF_ my bike!" shouted Danya. She coolly drew a blaster from a holster strapped to her side.

"No. I will not agree with you, nor will I side against you," Elias said.

"Fine," Danya coolly said.

Her finger pressed the trigger. Instantly Elias dove out of the way. He could feel the heat of the shot as it streaked by his side. Then he discovered he had dived right off the bike and was plunging down towards the furious battle raging below.

As he neared the ground, the humming of an engine reached his ears. He turned his head, and saw another bike coming at him, its rider wearing a long cloak.

An arm suddenly shot out, and hit him square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him as it quickly wrapped around his torso and pulled him onto the speeder bike. Elias looked at his savior, and discovered it was, "_Wid_?"

The person nodded. Elias had recognized Wid's powerful build right away.

"Please don't tell me you're on Danya's side on this thing!" cried Elias.

Wid vigorously shook his head.

"OK, um… Do you have any weapons on this thing?" asked Elias.

Wid let go of the steering mechanism with one hand and opened up a small compartment. He reached inside it and pulled out a vibroblade, passing it back to Elias.

"Thanks. I'll be sure to- Aah!" Elias suddenly cried as Wid's hand clamped down on the back of his neck and shoved him down on the seat.

"Wid, what are you-" Elias stopped talking when a blaster bolt shot over his head. "Somebody's shooting at us!"

Wid let go of Elias, and immediately began to take evasive maneuvers. He turned sharply, so sharp that the speeder bike was sideways. Elias clung to Wid's shoulders even tighter than he had before.

He managed to look to the side, and saw that the person shooting at them was Danya.

"Dammit! Wid, try and land somewhere! She's not going to give up!" Elias called.

Wid instantly made the speeder bike abruptly dive down.

Elias shouted as they went down, coming closer and closer to the ground. More lasers shot past the bike, narrowly missing him.

Just as they were about to hit the ground, Wid pulled sharply up, and they shot back up over the battle.

"Try and get closer to the palace! Other people can't join her as easily if there aren't as many angles for them to shoot at us!" Elias said, pointing ahead at the palace.

Instantly Wid turned the speeder bike, nearly throwing Elias off, and they soared straight at the palace wall. Wid abruptly turned the bike, and they flew roughly a meter away from the palace, going as fast as he could.

All of the sudden, as they shot around a corner, they found a tree directly in front of them.

Elias shouted, and Wid calmly pulled up, and they went clear over the tree, now up near the roof.

Danya followed, coming closer to the tree than Wid had, and still shooting at them.

Wid, being the more skilled pilot, began to zigzag back and forth, the bolts all flying harmlessly past the speeder bike.

A shot grazed Elias's shoulder as they sped away. At the same instant it hit, he had to duck another bolt.

As he put his head back up, Elias said, "She can't have shot that fast!" He looked around, and spotted a gleam of metal from the roof of the palace.

_There are snipers on the roof!_ he realized.

Just as he opened his mouth to warn Wid, one of Danya's bolts hit the bike, shaking it. Smoke instantly began to pour from the engine, and they started losing altitude.

"Jump!" shouted Elias.

Instantly he turned and leapt from one side, and Wid jumped from the other.

As he tumbled head over heels, Elias fumbled with his belt, and grabbed his spare cable launcher. He saw Danya's speeder bike above him, and aimed a few meters in front of it before firing the cable.

As he continued to fall, the cord suddenly went taught as it hit Danya's bike, and was almost yanked from his hands, but he managed to hold it. Elias was towed rapidly away from Wid, being dragged by Danya's speeder bike.

Meanwhile, Wid had managed to seize the edge of the palace rooftop with his fingers, and hauled himself up onto the warm metal.

Instantly, two figures clothed in grey that mixed with the roof swiftly came over to him, aiming blaster rifles at his chest.

"Don't move," one of them said.

The only thing he could do was watch as they quickly reloaded and caulked their weapons.

- - -

Del-Mon led the king and queen inside and swiftly down the hallways. He had no idea where he was going, he simply tried to avoid the guards that he heard tramping down the hallways. There was no way of telling which of them were on Darmick's side and which were not.

He kept his hand near his lightsaber, ready to activate it at a second's notice. "How can we get out of here without being detected?" Del-Mon asked.

"There is a passage that no one uses anymore that leads to the front gate. But we'll have to go through the throne room to get there," Anjos replied.

"Then we'll go through the throne room. We don't have much of a choice. You'll need to guide me on the way there," Del-Mon calmly said.

"This way," said Anjos.

Instantly the small group headed off down the corridor at a brisk jog. All of Del-Mon's senses were alert and scanning the area as they ran, sensing the presence of every guard.

Suddenly, as they rushed around a corner, Del-Mon could sense others nearby. "Stop!" he sharply whispered. He turned to go back the other way, but more guards were coming that way too.

He turned to Anjos, managing to keep a calm expression. "The guards are closing in on us. What is through this door?" he asked, gesturing to the door on the left side of the hallway.

"That's just a small dining hall," Anjos replied.

Del-Mon reached out with the Force quickly, and could tell there were more people beyond the door.

"There are others in that room, but not as many as there are coming this way," said Del-Mon.

"Let's go," Anjos immediately said. He punched in a few commands on the door controls, and the door shot open.

Del-Mon instantly went inside, his hand still near his lightsaber but not ready to grab it.

"The king and queen!" "And that Jedi the Prime Minister wants!" "Quick, open fire! Darmick is offering fifty thousand credits on each of their heads!"

Right away, Del-Mon activated his lightsaber and spun about, positioning himself between the guards and the king and queen.

"Jam the door!" he called over his shoulder.

Del-Mon had all ready taken out four out of the ten guards.

Behind him, Anjos grabbed his wife and quickly shoved her into the doorway, which she quickly jammed.

Anjos then jumped up onto a windowsill, the window frame protecting him as he drew a small blaster pistol. Del-Mon was amazed at how well he handled the weapon.

With Anjos's sharpshooting skills combined with Del-Mon's expert lightsaber handling, they had quickly and easily defeated the traitorous guards.

From outside the door they had entered through, there came an angry cry, "Open up in there!"

Del-Mon's sharp eyes instantly darted about the room, searching for an escape route. The room they were in was bigger than Del-Mon had imagined it would be. There was a large banquet table, surrounded by several chairs. The walls were draped with banners bearing the Crixxian insignia.

As he searched, his eyes fell on the ventilation shaft that was in the ceiling. Luckily, for such a huge room, it was big enough for a man such as himself or Anjos to fit into.

"Quick, we have to go up the ventilation shaft!" he said, pointing up as he deactivated his lightsaber and once again clipped it to his belt.

"Get on the table," said Anjos, quickly stepping up and courteously offering his wife a hand.

Del-Mon grabbed a chair and put it atop the table and then climbed up. He stood on the chair and cut through the metal surrounding the ventilation shaft, and let the grating clatter onto the table.

"You go first, Your Majesty," Del-Mon said to Anjos, who clambered up on the chair and jumped, pulling himself into the shaft.

"Leckura, you go next," said Anjos from above. Leckura silently stepped onto the chair, and Del-Mon held her up so she could reach the shaft easier. A few seconds later Leckura's arms wrapped around Anjos's strong biceps as he reached down to pull her into the shaft.

With his sharpened sense of hearing, Del-Mon detected motion outside the door. Someone was fastening something to it.

"Hurry, Del-Mon! They're going to blow up the door!" Anjos's voice called down.

Back in the dining room, Del-Mon did not come up the shaft. Instead, he grabbed the metal grating from the ventilation shaft from where it had fallen. He threw it at the nearby window with all his might, and the glass shattered.

As fast as he could, he grabbed the cable launcher from his belt. He undid a long length of cable before hooking it to the outside ledge of the window and letting it fall down to the grounds below.

Rushing, he frantically jumped back onto the table, got on the chair, and jumped. As he jumped, he pushed with his legs, and made the chair topple off the table and onto the ground.

In just a minute, he'd erased all evidence of where they had gone, making it look like they'd gone out a window instead. He just had to hope the guards did not notice the missing grating on the shaft.

Del-Mon's hands grasped the sharp corner where the shaft went down and opened up into the room. He effortlessly pulled himself up, and just in time too. As soon as his legs disappeared up the shaft, there was an explosion, and he could hear guards tramping into the room.

"Where are they?" "Look, the window is broken!" "There's a cable launcher here, they must be outside!" the guards' voices reached their ears.

As quickly as they had entered, the guards left, and Leckura sighed in relief.

Del-Mon calmly turned around, finding that he had just enough room to do so on his hands and knees.

"Let's go. How do we get to the throne room from here?" asked Del-Mon.

"It should be this way. Come on," Anjos replied. He began to crawl down the shaft, and Del-Mon and Leckura followed.

As quietly as they could they went along the metal shafts, Anjos quietly whispering directions back to Del-Mon.

Finally, Anjos stopped. "It's just below here. We can't go any further, this is where the shaft stops," he said.

"Let me go down first," Del-Mon said.

Leckura pressed herself against the wall of the shaft, as did Anjos, and they allowed Del-Mon to slip past them. He crouched cautiously at the edge of the gap where the shaft dropped down and led to the grate that opened into the throne room.

"Do either of you have a vibroblade by any chance?" he asked.

He received no reply.

Sighing nervously, Del-Mon unclipped his lightsaber. Lying on his back, he managed to put his lightsaber in his mouth as he pushed himself towards the gap with his feet. He then pressed his hands against the two walls of the shaft and slowly lowered himself down. When only his lower legs were up on the shaft, he stopped, allowing himself to hang there. He grabbed his lightsaber and activated it, slicing through the thin metal of the grate. Just as he sliced through the last of the grate, he seized it with his hands, not wanting it to drop to the floor and make unnecessary noise.

When he finished, the Jedi deactivated his lightsaber and released the shaft with his legs. He let himself fall upside-down until he was completely out of the shaft, and then did a quick flip and neatly landed on his feet in the throne room below.

Looking around, ready to switch his lightsaber on again, he saw no one and discarded the grate.

He looked back up. "It's all right! Anjos, get down here quickly!" he called.

Almost instantly King Anjos jumped down the shaft, landing on his feet and then falling to his knees. He got back up right away.

"Leckura, jump! Del-Mon and I will catch you!" Anjos called to his wife.

"All right!" replied Leckura.

She dropped from the shaft, and Anjos and Del-Mon caught her.

The instant Anjos set Leckura on her feet, the huge door to the throne room burst open, and Prime Minister Darmick barged in, fifteen soldiers following him.

"There they are! Kill them!" Darmick shouted, pointing a fierce finger at the three.

"Leckura, get out of here!" Anjos shouted as he drew his blaster and Del-Mon switched his lightsaber on again.

Leckura instantly turned and ran, but she did not leave the room. Instead she went to the two elaborate thrones, and pressed her hand beneath one of the armrests. The top of the armrest opened up, and Leckura grabbed a blaster from the hidden compartment that was revealed. She was soon fighting at her husband's side.

Del-Mon nimbly wielded his lightsaber as he deflected the lasers again, easily hitting the guards with their own shots.

A few minutes later their numbers had gone from fifteen down to seven.

As Del-Mon grimly watched another soldier fall, he heard a strangled gasp from his side. Instantly he turned, and saw Prime Minister Darmick holding the queen with a rough grasp around her throat. A blaster was pressed to her head.

"No!" cried Anjos.

"Move and she dies! Put down your weapons!" snapped Darmick. He had succeeded in disarming the queen all ready.

Slowly, Del-Mon and Anjos obeyed. The guards moved in and surrounded them.

"You three come with me. I'll need an escort incase I have to kill the queen," he said with that evil, malicious smile. "The rest of you, kill the king and the Jedi. They are of no use."

-----


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Disclaimer

George Lucas: Owner of Star Wars.

Me: Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.

See the difference? 'Nuff said.

-----

Elias looked back but couldn't see Wid anymore. He clung to the cable launcher for dear life, trying to stay alive for a while before he decided to let the cable draw him in.

Danya looked down and saw him, her face a mask of pure rage. Nervously he gripped the cable launcher tighter and hit the button to reel it in.

Shots began to come down at him from above. Danya was firing again. Elias managed to swing back and forth on the cable as it towed him up, avoiding the shots narrowly.

"Danya, please, just listen to me!" he shouted to her.

"You had your chance!" Danya yelled back, turning and firing off three more shots.

When Elias was about halfway to the speeder bike, Danya stopped firing at him suddenly. He saw her aiming at something, and then she fired. The laser hit the cable and went clear through it.

An instant before it hit, Elias realized what Danya was trying to do, and he managed to push his hands off the cable launcher as hard as he could, and grabbed the cable again just above where it had been severed.

The bare cable was rough and hard to hold on to. With fierce determination Elias climbed hand over hand, his legs dangling as he went towards the speeder bike.

Danya kept shooting, and Elias found that the cord was too short to swing on, so he had to quickly twist his body aside to avoid being hit.

"Danya, we can resolve this! Stop shooting!" Elias shouted.

"I told you Elias! This is for Father!" Danya yelled, firing again.

"Aah!" Elias cried out as he kicked his feet, swinging aside just in time.

Danya now gave up shooting, and sharply turned the speeder bike, trying to throw her brother off.

With clenched teeth, Elias held on tightly. He felt his legs scrape some tree branches, and his pant leg was quickly snagged on one, dragging him down the cord slightly and burning his hands before he managed to shake himself free.

"Danya!" he shouted.

She did not reply as she sharply spun the speeder bike around again, bashing Elias's legs against a tree trunk.

Elias slipped again, nearing the end of the cord, but still tried to hold on. He gave up on trying to climb onto the bike.

Danya suddenly veered abruptly towards the palace, swinging Elias's body at the hard stone wall.

Elias shouted, and stuck out his legs. His feet hit the wall, and his boots slid along the stone wall of the palace as he still clung to the short length of cable.

Danya angrily steered the bike straight up in the air, and then pointed it back down. The abrupt change of direction almost yanked the cable from Elias's hands.

Danya went down until she was less than a meter away from the ground and straightened out. The bike hovered there as it zoomed ahead.

Elias's legs hit the ground and he was dragged in the dirt temporarily. Quickly he struggled to his feet and stuck them out in front of his body. Then he started to run, pumping his legs as hard as he could as he kept his iron grip on the cable.

Danya pulled up again, dragging Elias with her.

As they zoomed along, Danya went faster and faster, now hoping that the speed would drag Elias off the cable.

As they went even faster, Elias found he was slipping. Despair overwhelmed him. Now there was no way to save Crixxin.

All of the sudden, he heard a small explosion. He looked at the swoop, squinting with all the wind, and saw flames and smoke billowing from the engine of the speeder bike. Someone had shot it!

The bike instantly began to lose altitude, going down faster and faster. Elias still clung to the cable until the last minute, letting go just as the nose of the speeder bike began to hit the ground.

Elias hit the ground and rolled for a moment. He stopped and staggered to his feet, leaning against a nearby tree for support as he panted heavily, getting his breath back.

He watched the twisted metal wreckage as it burned, and suddenly a shape rose from the other side of the flames.

"Danya?" he called.

Instantly three laser shots came towards him. Elias cursed horribly and ducked behind the tree he had been leaning against.

"You should have joined my side, Elias! Or at least stayed out of this! The Crixxians must die!" Danya shouted.

Elias peeked around the tree trunk, and immediately his sister fired at him, the shots hitting the tree.

"Danya, we… We can resolve this!… I told you all ready… We've signed a treaty to… To resolve this! We don't need to fight!" Elias called back to her, still gasping for breath.

"You're wrong, Elias!" shouted Danya.

Elias leaned against the tree heavily, panting.

"Danya!… This can be resolved peacefully!" he gasped.

"No it can't! If you are going to stand in the way, I'll have to move you myself!" Danya yelled. Elias heard her start to come closer.

"Dammit," he muttered. His hand flashed for his holster, but it was empty. His blaster must have fallen out during the wild ride. He felt something in his pocket next to the small hologram generator he always carried, and pulled out the vibroblade Wid had given him earlier.

Elias glanced around the tree again, and instantly ducked back, narrowly avoiding that lasers that were fired at him. Looking down at the vibroblade in his hand, an idea suddenly came to mind. It was pretty hopeless, but it just could work. So far luck had been with him.

He firmly gripped the vibroblade, and charged out into the open. He ran at Danya, zigzagging back and forth as he approached her to throw off her aim.

With a roar he lunged, swinging the vibroblade at the blaster and knocking it from her hand.

As Danya staggered backwards, she darted aside and her hand went to her belt. She yanked a vibroblade out from its sheath, and instantly jabbed it at Elias.

Elias jumped back. He wasn't trying to kill his sister, only disarm her to make her listen.

Danya threw herself at him, jabbing and swinging with all her might. She truly did want to kill him.

Elias jumped back and forth, blocking her attacks. Even if he wanted to retaliate there was no time to between strikes. All he could do was hope to disarm her once more.

"Danya, this is foolish! I'm telling you, we can stop this without bloodshed! Just listen to me! Call off the attack and listen to me!" Elias said as he swung his blade to the side, smacking hers away from his neck.

"No! I've told you, you can't convince me otherwise!" shouted Danya, trying to snake her arm around his blade to stab him in the chest.

"Don't make this mistake! This battle will not help the problem, it will only escalate it more and tear this planet apart!" Elias said, swiftly blocking her blow and springing aside.

Danya raised her vibroblade above her head and brought it down. Elias instantly lifted his and held it sideways. Danya's blade slammed into it, and they both held their weapons there, pressing harder and harder, trying to overpower each other.

"Danya… I'm not giving up," Elias said through clenched teeth.

"Then you will die!"

"No I won't. I will overpower you. And I shall be gracious about it. I won't kill you," Elias said.

Instantly he shoved his blade forwards, forcing Danya back a few steps. She instantly recovered and charged at him again.

Danya fought furiously, never letting Elias rest. But he found he was not tiring. He knew he had to keep going, or let the planet be destroyed.

"Danya, think of the planet. Think of the children. Do you want them to grow up on a world like this?" Elias asked.

"It is better than being ruled and persecuted by the Crixxians," said Danya.

Danya swung at him, and Elias was filled with a new determination. He swung back, as hard as he could. His vibroblade connected with Danya's so hard it knocked it from her hand.

As it started to fall to the ground, Elias's hand shot out and snatched it. He tossed it into the air again, and sliced clear through it with his own vibroblade.

He then faced Danya. "Now you have to listen to me. I need to show you something," he said, still holding his vibroblade at her throat.

Danya glared at him. "Fine. But it won't do you any good," she snapped.

"Danya, you know as well as I do that our family was peaceful. When our father died, he did not have one thought of killing anyone," Elias said.

"What's your point?" asked Danya.

"My point is-" Elias began, reaching for his pocket.

Just as he began speaking, Danya dove to the ground, rolled. She snatched up her fallen blaster from where it had landed, and came up aiming straight at Elias's heart.

As she did this, Elias continued searching through his pocket. Just as Danya got to her feet, he pulled out the hologram generator he had and pressed two buttons simultaneously, ACTIVATE and RECORD. Instantly an image of five people came up.

Danya froze, her finger less than a millimeter from the trigger of her blaster.

"Remember our family?" asked Elias.

Sure enough, the hologram he held was a picture of their family. All of them together, smiling.

"I… I…" Danya began, unsure of what to say.

"Remember how Father refused to kill Crixxians? Do you remember when he talked Tennin out of doing exactly what you're doing now? Do you remember all the peace that our father made possible? And now you are tearing it apart. This is what Father wanted you say? You think you're doing this for Father? Well you're not. You're not like him. No matter how much you wish you were, you're not. He would never do anything like this, no matter what they did to us first. You have to remember, Danya," Elias said. He looked at her with pleading eyes as the hologram spun slowly about, the smiling faces going past him again and again.

"Elias, I… I…" Danya lowered the blaster.

Elias smiled warmly. "Come on. Let's-"

Just as he spoke, a blaster shot rang out. Danya screamed and crumpled to the ground facedown.

"NOOOO! DANYA!" he roared. Instantly Elias dropped to her side. He looked about, and saw a swoop carrying a Crixxian officer flying by, its rider smiling cruelly.

"_YOU BASTARD_!" Elias roared. He instantly picked up the fallen blaster and fired. The bolt struck the guard in the back of the head, and he fell off his swoop.

He rolled Danya over onto her back, hiding the blood that covered her clothes.

"Danya!… Danya, no!" Elias said. He cradled her head in his lap, allowing tears to fall from his one eye.

"E-Elias… I… I'm so… So sorry," she gasped.

"No, Danya, don't be sorry! You… You can't die just like this, it's not real!" Elias cried.

"Elias… You… You are right… We don't need more… Fighting… It has to stop," Danya said.

"No, it's all right, it's all right! Really! This isn't happening, it can't be! Don't die, please don't die!" Elias pleaded.

"I love you, brother… I… I'm sorry… You were right… You were right," Danya said.

"No! You can't die, you can't! Not after this! I can get you to one of our medics, he can save you, and then…" Elias sobbed.

Danya slowly reached her slender, pale hand and put it to his rough cheek. "Elias… Good-bye," she said. Danya's head rolled to the side, and her eyes closed.

"Danya? Danya! No… NOOO!" Elias shouted. He lay his head sideways on her chest, and felt no heartbeat.

He swallowed, and hung his head down, holding his sister, kissing her forehead and running his fingers through her long, silky hair.

He picked up the hologram generator. He pressed the playback button. He'd been recording their speech since he'd yanked the generator out of his pocket.

Elias just lay there, holding his sister's inanimate body close and listening to the sound of her voice coming back to him over and over again.

- - -

Del-Mon powerlessly watched as Darmick dragged Leckura away.

Instantly the ring of soldiers surrounding him and the king prodded them with the butts of their rifles and led Del-Mon and Anjos away.

"I'm sorry, Anjos," muttered Del-Mon.

"As am I," Anjos said.

They were shoved into a large, empty room, and Del-Mon looked around, searching for a way out. He could see none.

Anjos did the same, and his results were no less fruitless than Del-Mon's.

The Jedi then turned his gaze to the soldiers, who were busy loading their rifles.

"Can you shoot a blaster rifle well?" Del-Mon muttered.

"Yes, when the situation demands it. Why?" Anjos replied.

"Trust me, the situation demands it," Del-Mon simply answered him.

He instantly focused on one of the rifles that were propped against the wall as one of the soldiers tried to get a reloading cartridge out of his belt. He reached out with the Force, and seized the rifle, pulling it towards him.

"Hey!" cried one of the guards. He lunged for his weapon, but it was all ready in Del-Mon's hands.

"Here!" Del-Mon quickly thrust the rifle to Anjos, and extended a hand, pushing with the Force. He knocked two guards backwards and into a wall.

Nearly half the guards fell, victims to Anjos's deadly accuracy. Del-Mon quickly spun around on his heel, and a group of four laser bolts flew past him. He kept reaching out when he had the chance and would sweep the guards against the walls with the Force, usually knocking them out.

Anjos fired off a few more shots, and finally the remaining guards fell to the ground.

He sighed in relief and wiped his sweaty brow on his shirtsleeve. "Let's go, we have to save Leckura!" he cried.

"One moment!" Del-Mon said. He quickly jogged to the fallen guards, and rolled the one he assumed was the captain over onto his back. He instantly spotted what he was looking for, and snatched his lightsaber up. Somehow he felt relieved and at ease with his lightsaber in its familiar place at his hip.

"Come on, we probably don't have much time!" Del-Mon said, bolting out the door with Anjos at his heels.

"Where would Darmick go if he wanted to make a quick escape?" asked Del-Mon as they ran.

"Probably through the garden! It's the fastest route to the royal hangar," Anjos replied.

"Then that's where we're headed. How do we get there?" asked Del-Mon.

"This way," Anjos said, beckoning as he turned right down another corridor.

They ran down the twisting labyrinth of corridors and out into the garden finally. Del-Mon froze at the doorway.

"What is it?" asked Anjos, stopping and standing in the middle of the garden path.

Del-Mon looked around, his senses alert. "Something isn't right."

Anjos peered about, trying to see through the trees. "I see nothing unusual," he said.

"I don't think you'll be able to see it- Get out of the way!" cried Del-Mon. The instant he spoke, a muffled sound of blaster fire came from one of the nearby trees.

Anjos jumped backwards just in time, the laser shooting past the place his head had just been and embedding itself in a tree trunk.

"Snipers!" Anjos cried.

A red bolt was suddenly fired at Del-Mon. A split second after he heard the shot his lightsaber was in his hands and activated. He swiftly positioned it, and the blast was deflected back at the tree. He heard a scream, and a body tumbled to the ground.

Del-Mon quickly looked around. "We should move quickly. There are probably more coming."

Anjos needed no second bidding. He took off, Del-Mon following him effortlessly.

Three shots suddenly rang out, one meant for Anjos and the other two streaking towards Del-Mon. Anjos dove off the path, and Del-Mon spun around, deflecting one bolt and neatly stepping aside so that the other missed him. Three guards suddenly stepped out of a thick hedge, their blaster rifles all ready firing again.

"Run!" Del-Mon called. Anjos sprang out from behind a tree and tore off down the path. Occasionally he would spin around to fire a shot or two, or Del-Mon would angle his lightsaber to hit aside a bolt, but other than that they did not slow.

"It's just up here!" Anjos said.

He ran into the trees, and Del-Mon did his best to follow. It was hard to see the king in the dense foliage.

He burst through a large bush that he'd seen the king go by a moment earlier, and ended up in an open path. He spotted a flash of red to his side and spun around, hitting the laser away.

"Del-Mon! Over here!" he heard the king's voice shouting.

Del-Mon spotted the king's hand waving from behind the thick trunk a large kavasa fruit tree. He quickly ran across the stone path, more lasers firing behind him He darted around the trunk leaned against the tree next to the king.

"We've got to get past those two trees! That building is the hangar! There are at least five snipers up there!" Anjos said.

"Well, we certainly don't have much time. Those other guards will catch up with us soon. We'll have to make a break for it," said Del-Mon.

"We've all ready risked our necks twenty times today. Why should once more make a difference?" Anjos sarcastically asked.

"That's the spirit," Del-Mon said with a slight grin.

They both cautiously looked around the tree on either side.

"Go!" Del-Mon said.

Instantly Anjos ran as fast as he could across the path. Del-Mon followed, but tried not to get too close to the king, knowing if they were both together they would make an easier target.

Occasionally Del-Mon would deflect a laser that came straight at him, or jump to miss one that came at his legs from the sides.

He saw Anjos repeatedly ducking or pivoting on his foot as he ran ahead.

Anjos finally stopped at a large, ivy-covered wall. Del-Mon turned his back to the king, and started to skillfully hit the lasers that the snipers kept shooting aside.

"Darmick must have jammed the door!" Anjos cried, smacking the control panel in frustration.

"Cover me," said Del-Mon. Without waiting for a reply he turned around and jammed his lightsaber into the thick metal door. He pressed with all his might, and finally felt it go through. As hard as he could he pushed the blade, slowly forming a circle.

Behind him, King Anjos was firing several shots into the trees, temporarily halting the snipers.

Finally, Del-Mon's lightsaber hit air, and a large slab of the metal door fell away.

"Go!" he shouted.

Right away, Anjos turned and dove through the hole in the door.

Del-Mon hit aside a few more lasers before following, some shots narrowly missing him and hitting the area around the hole instead.

They were inside the hangar now. Cautiously they made their way forward, searching for any trace of the queen. As they walked slowly, Del-Mon suddenly felt something, like a ripple in the Force. He heard a familiar voice in the back of his head.

"_Master, I'm alive. I'm coming."_

It was Aro-Ken! He was alive after all! Del-Mon didn't know where he was, but he knew his apprentice would come.

"_I need your help, Padawan. Hurry, find me." _He spoke with his mind, using the Force to channel the message to Aro-Ken.

"_I will, Master. I promise,"_ came Aro-Ken's reply.

Del-Mon lost his focus for a moment as he silently rejoiced at the message. Suddenly, he heard a click of a blaster rifle. Instantly he spun around, but was too slow to do anything. He found three blaster rifles aimed at himself and King Anjos. Behind the three guards stood Darmick, holding the queen by the throat and aiming the rifle to her head.

"Come any closer and all three of you die!" Darmick snarled.

- - -

Aro-Ken got up off the floor and grabbed his lightsaber from his belt. He did not activate it, but carried it in his hand just incase he needed it.

Cautiously he looked around. He could sense no one in the hallways. Aro-Ken quickly took off. He reached out and tapped into the living Force, and could sense where it was gathering around Mattan.

He quickly followed the trail, darting into a turbolift and punching the button he assumed was correct.

The lift stopped and he ran out into the hallway, all his senses scanning the area. He rounded a corner, and found Mattan and Dahna looking anxiously out the window, searching for him he assumed.

"Come on… We have to move," Aro-Ken panted.

Dahna looked up with a start, and Mattan calmly turned around.

"Aro-Ken, what took you so long?" Dahna asked.

"The battle outside delayed me a bit… I'll tell you about it later. The turbolift is over here," Aro-Ken said, turning and walking to the lift.

Once they were on the same floor (Aro-Ken hoped) as Del-Mon, they cautiously made their way down the hallways, Aro-Ken in the lead and Dahna at the back.

Mattan was strangely silent as they walked down the hallways. Aro-Ken stopped at every corner and would cautiously look ahead, still carrying his deactivated lightsaber.

Suddenly, the sounds furious shouting and blaster fire reached Aro-Ken's ears as they passed by a huge flight of stairs that stuck to the walls as it went down. He glanced over the waist-high railing, and could see people inside, shooting and cursing.

"Keep walking, the battle has spread to in here. We'll have to move quickly," Aro-Ken said. He picked up his pace slightly.

He glanced over his shoulder, and suddenly spotted two people armed with vibroblades arrive at the top of the stairs, furiously locked in combat.

"It's getting close," Dahna said. Aro-Ken was beginning to sense that she was beginning to doubt him. After all, he was only sixteen.

"Don't worry. The Force will guide us," Aro-Ken answered.

Mattan was still silent. From what Aro-Ken had observed, he'd usually back up the young Jedi in this situation.

"This way," said Aro-Ken, rounding a corner.

As they jogged down the hallway, Aro-Ken heard the sounds of battle clearly growing louder.

"The fighting is getting closer," Dahna said with nervousness in her voice.

"Don't worry. We're not in trouble yet," Aro-Ken said.

He rounded a corner, and then froze. He found five guards standing there.

"All right, _now _we're in trouble," Aro-Ken corrected himself.

Without blast armor or any weapons, Aro-Ken knew they looked like Atheists, and that was exactly what the guards thought.

"Atheists! Get them!" shouted one man.

"Run! Go that way!" Aro-Ken shouted, pointing behind him with his free hand as he activated his lightsaber at the same time.

"What about you?" he heard Mattan's voice asked.

"I'll catch up, just go, now!" Aro-Ken called.

He heard Mattan and Dahna's retreating footsteps as the guards began to fire.

Instantly Aro-Ken pushed the distracting loud noises of the battle behind him from his mind, concentrating only on staying alive and protecting Dahna and Mattan.

As the red laser bolts streaked towards him, Aro-Ken was everywhere at once, his blue lightsaber just a blur. He spun, jumped, swung, and blocked with all his strength, refusing to tire. He had to give Dahna and Mattan as much time to get away from the guards as possible.

Finally, two guards lay unconscious on the ground. The remaining three, who had grown fearful of the boy's strength and had taken cover, were running out of ammunition.

"Let's get out of here!" one of them cried. The other two wordlessly agreed. They all threw down their blasters and took off down the hallway.

Aro-Ken sighed in relief and took off, running as hard as he could in the direction he'd sent Mattan and his mother.

He finally caught up with them, and stopped briefly to catch his breath. "We need to hurry. Del-Mon is close. I can sense the Force around him," he said.

Aro-Ken kept his lightsaber activated as they went down the hall, repeatedly looking over his shoulder to be sure there was no one following them.

"We're almost there," he said to Dahna.

"Good," Dahna simply replied.

He glanced out a window, and saw that they were several stories above ground. There was nothing below them. They were in a tunnel above the ground. Aro-Ken looked ahead, and saw they were heading towards another building. "That must be the hangar," he said.

"And you think your master is there?" asked Dahna.

"Yes, I can sense his presence," he replied.

Reaching out with the Force, Aro-Ken sent a message to Del-Mon, hoping he'd catch it.

"_Master, I'm alive. I'm coming."_

To both his joy and amazement, he received an answer.

"_I need your help, Padawan. Hurry, find me."_

"_I will, Master. I promise."_ Aro-Ken answered.

They arrived at a turbolift. "Get in," Aro-Ken instructed Mattan and Dahna.

They went down to the bottom floor and cautiously exited after the young Jedi had taken a quick look around.

They were indeed in a hangar. It looked like they were in the spare parts room. It was filled with old cooling units and broken hyperdrives and scanners that had long since lost their ability to function.

As they walked towards the door, Aro-Ken suddenly stopped. "There's somebody around that corner," he said.

"Where do you want me and Mattan to hide?" Dahna asked.

Aro-Ken waited a moment. "No, don't hide. My master is with them. We'll have to be cautious though. There may be more guards."

He opened the door and looked around. He couldn't see anyone in the huge clutter of shiny new vehicles, but he could hear voices speaking.

He ducked behind a pile of crates, and motioned for Mattan and Dahna to join him. When they were at his side, he looked. He could see the outlines of a few bodies, but still could not hear what they were saying.

"We have to get closer," Aro-Ken said. Looking around, he spotted a large Nubian model transport with very thick landing struts.

"Come on," he muttered. He still stayed low to the ground as he dashed to the vehicle, turning his body sideways and standing behind the landing struts.

Dahna and Mattan followed, Mattan ducking behind the same strut as Aro-Ken, and Dahna hid behind the one next to them.

Aro-Ken put a hand on Mattan's shoulder and leaned around the strut. He could finally see his master for the first time in three days. The only problem was that Del-Mon was being held at gunpoint.

He and another man who had dark red hair were standing stock-still. Three guards were pointing rifles at their chests. Behind the guards stood an almost old looking man. He held a very nice looking woman by the throat, and was pointing a blaster at her skull.

Aro-Ken nervously watched, his mind racing. He knew he didn't have much time.

Suddenly, a voice shouted, "FATHER!"

Aro-Ken looked down, and discovered that Mattan was gone. He drew in a sharp breath, and spotted the boy running across the floor towards Del-Mon and the other man, who Aro-Ken now assumed was King Anjos.

As he ran, the guards turned, instantly aiming their guns.

"No!" Aro-Ken yelled.

He took off after Mattan, running as fast as he tired muscles would allow him.

"Father, Father!" Mattan called again.

The king turned, and Mattan ran into his arms. Anjos was stunned as he lifted the boy up.

"M-Mattan?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Dad, it's me!" Mattan cried.

Aro-Ken halted at his master's side. "I'm here, Master," he panted.

"Yes, I can see that. Who is your young companion?" asked Del-Mon.

Answering for Aro-Ken, Anjos turned to the three guards as Dahna came to his side.

"Guards, this is my son. His mother was an Atheist. Do you see the union your own king has made? If not for a bond between the two sides, this child would not exist. You can see for yourself that our differences can be overcome. We don't need to fight. There can be unity between the two sides," Anjos said, putting his arm around Dahna's shoulders and holding her close.

"No! Don't listen to him! He lies! Kill all of them!" Darmick screamed from behind.

The three guards looked back and forth uncertainly.

"Darmick is wrong, you must think for yourselves. He has been filling your heads with lie after lie for year after year! You must see the truth. You have to believe me!" Anjos cried.

"He lies! How do you expect to get your Reward if you side with an Atheist?" shouted Darmick, flushing red with rage.

"Guards, do what you will. Just be sure that you will not regret your decisions," Anjos said, firmly standing his ground.

"He's lying!" yelled Darmick.

All of the sudden one guard turned around, and aimed his rifle at Darmick.

"What are you doing?" demanded the flustered Prime Minister.

"What I should have done a long time ago," replied the guard.

"You two, kill him as well!" Darmick snapped at the other two guards.

Slowly, they both turned as well. "No," one of them said.

"What?" demanded Darmick.

"No. I won't do it. I never should have believed you. It is you, Prime Minister, who is lying to us," the guard said.

Angrily Darmick looked at them both. Then he abruptly spun on his heel and took off running, pulling the queen along with him. Before the guards could react, he had disappeared into the clutter of ships.

Without waiting for anything, Aro-Ken tore off after him, Del-Mon at his side. Anjos set down Mattan and joined them.

"Where is he going?" asked Del-Mon as they ran.

"There is an underground passageway that leads back to the palace! He'll probably be taking it!" replied Anjos.

"That's where we're headed," said Del-Mon.

They kept running. Each time Aro-Ken thought Darmick had gotten away, they would round a corner and see his dark blue cloak dart around a corner, or hear the queen call to them.

Finally, as the two Jedi and the king rounded the corner, weapons drawn, they found Darmick back in the throne room. There were no other doors except the one he had entered through.

He looked around, and saw that he was indeed trapped.

Furiously, Darmick turned back to the Jedi and pressed the blaster to the queen's head even harder.

"Well, well, congratulations. You've all just signed the queen's death sentence," he coldly said.

-----


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Disclaimer

George Lucas: Owner of Star Wars.

Me: Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.

See the difference? 'Nuff said.

AN: I realize the first part with Wid & Sari is a bit confusing, just go with it. All you need to know is that he's in an awkward position and gets out of it in a complicated way.

-----

Wid took a deep breath and started to close his eyes. He had no chance against the snipers, especially since he was unarmed. He'd given his vibroblade to Elias.

Suddenly, he heard laughing. Confused he opened his eyes. "Wid, where've you been?" asked a happy voice.

One of the black-clothed snipers removed the cromasheath veil from their face, and Wid discovered it was Sari.

"Oh, Wid… Buddy, you should have seen your face!" she laughed.

Wid frowned at her as the other snipers took off their veils as well, revealing themselves to be fellow Atheists.

"So what brings you up here?" she asked.

Wid made a few quick gestures.

"Stuck huh? Well, we have no way to get down either. Some of the others dropped us off, and we're hoping they'll still be alive when this is over so they can pick us up," she said.

He frowned again, and began to think. He suddenly spotted a vibro-ax someone had tossed aside.

Quickly he picked it up, raised it above his head, and slammed it down into the roof of the palace. Luckily the metal wasn't that thin, and he easily sliced through it.

He hacked away, knowing he had to get inside the palace so he could find a way back outside. He had to get to Elias and make sure he was all right. Wid considered it his duty since the day Elias had gotten him out of jail to protect him.

Finally, he'd made a hole big enough for himself to fit through. He looked around, giving a questioning gaze to them all.

"Sorry, Wid, I gotta stay here. Lot's of Crixxians down there to kill," Sari said.

Wid curiously looked at her.

"You know, Elias's order. He told Danya to tell us to kill all the Crixxians," Sari said.

Wid vigorously shook his head at the false statement.

"What do you mean? Elias didn't say that?" Sari asked.

Wid nodded.

"Oh God, Danya tricked us all! And I believed her, dammit!" Sari cursed.

Wid gestured for her to follow him.

She looked at him. "Wid's right, everyone. We shouldn't be doing this. I always knew Elias wouldn't want us to do something like this, and god dammit, I was right!" she spoke to the other snipers.

They looked uncertainly at each other for a moment.

"But they did kill our friends," commented one.

"Yeah, my father died and my brother lost an arm," said another.

Sari glared at them all. "Well, you stay here if you want. But if you keep attacking them like this, they'll just keep fighting back. Let's go, Wid," she angrily said.

They both jumped into the hole Wid had made, and landed shortly after. They were in a long metal chute of some sort. It branched off in three directions, and was barely tall enough for them to crouch in.

"This must be the ventilation shaft," Sari said.

Wid began to crawl to one side, and Sari followed him.

As they made their way along, there was the sound of more peoples' feet hitting the metal of the shaft.

"So nice of you to join us," Sari said to the other four snipers.

"Yeah, well, you were right. What else can we say?" asked one of the Atheists.

"OK. Two of you go that way and the other two go another. Wid and I are going down here. Just try and find a way out. It's probably best to stay hidden," Sari instructed.

Instantly the other Atheists spread out as she'd bade them to. She followed Wid down the shaft, passing over room after room, most filled with either patrolling guards or more of the warring groups.

"Damn, it's sure spread far," Sari quietly commented as they crawled along.

Wid nodded even though he knew Sari could not see in the dim light.

They kept going, still searching for an empty room they could get out in. But each new room they peered through the grating at turned out to be full of people.

They finally came to a long drop in the shaft. Wid peered down. He could hardly see the bottom. He assumed this was where the shaft went down to another floor. There was some light peeking through the grate far below, but not enough to see anything.

"What is it, Wid? Do we have to go back?" asked Sari.

Wid turned back and shook his head. Slowly he rolled over onto his stomach and positioned himself so that his legs were facing the long drop.

With his hands he pushed himself backwards until his legs were down in the drop. Then he spread them apart and pressed his feet against two opposite sides of the shaft.

Slowly, he lowered himself down until his body was completely inside the drop. He held himself there, his legs still pressing against the side.

Then, he let his right leg come away from the side of the shaft. As his right side began to fall, he stuck out his foot and pressed it to the wall of the shaft again, stopping himself.

He quickly steadied himself with his hands before doing the same action with his left leg.

Before long he found himself directly above the grate as he did this. Wid could see that next to the grate the shaft continued on. Beyond the grate was what looked like a storeroom. Two guards were in it currently. One was asleep, a bottle of strong ale in his hands. The other was staggering about, his speech slurred as he talked mindlessly to himself. They were both incredibly drunk.

Wid pulled himself back into the shaft as quietly as he could. He then looked back up and signaled for Sari to follow him the same way.

Uncertainly she lowered herself down into the shaft and came down the same way Wid had, though with not as much skill.

While she climbed down, Wid kept an eye on her and the two guards. The guard who had been talking to himself suddenly stood up straight. In a loud, drunken voice he said, "Ah… Killll tha Atheists… Uh, an' kill tha Ca-_rix_-ians!" After the words left his lips, he stood there, laughing at himself, before falling over in a dead faint. Wid shook his head and turned back to Sari.

As Sari neared the grate, she began to wobble. Wid reached out to take her hand to help pull her in.

Sari gratefully tried to accept his aid, but found she couldn't reach his hand from where she stood, fixed between two walls of the shaft with her feet. She was too close to the grate to go down any more.

Suddenly, as she leaned forward, one of her feet slipped from the side of the shaft, and she fell downwards, tumbling head over heels.

Wid drew in a sharp breath and instantly shot his hand out to try and grab her.

Sari's body hit the grate, and it instantly buckled and fell away from the shaft.

Wid found his hand gripping Sari's ankle. As she fell, she suddenly pulled him down with her. Wid somehow found himself flipped on his back.

As his back hit the corner of the shaft where it dropped down to the grate, he stuck his legs out in opposite directions.

As Sari stopped falling, Wid found himself upside down, with his legs pressing against the shaft again with his hands clutching Sari's ankle. Sari had stopped falling just inches above the sleeping guard's face. She could smell the ale on his breath, and tried her hardest not to gag, knowing that any noise could wake him.

Wid froze, his mind racing as he took deep, nervous breaths.

Sari looked up at him, her eyes full of fear.

Slowly, hand over hand, he began to pull Sari up by her leg. Holding her leg with one hand, he then reached down as far as he could with the other. Sari curled her body at the waist, bringing herself closer to him. She held out her hand, and it grasped his.

Wid quickly released her leg with his other hand and seized her arm with it. Wid pulled her up, and Sari quickly reached out with he arm he was not holding and grasped the edge of the shaft.

Wid finally released her, and she pulled herself in, leaning against the side and breathing heavily.

He then looked around and considered his own situation. Upside down and held in place by only his feet in an air shaft with two drunk guards sleeping below who could wake up at any time. Things looked pretty grim.

As he looked around nervously, an idea suddenly ran through his head. Glancing about one last time, he saw no other way.

Wid stretched as far as he could, reaching out and finally grabbing the edge of the shaft Sari was waiting in.

He brought his right leg away from the shaft wall, pressing hard with the other. He placed his left foot on the wall opposite of the shaft, and quickly did the same move with his right leg. His hands were now on the shaft Sari waited in, and his legs were against the opposite side of the shaft.

Gradually, he basically walked down the side of the vertical shaft, moving his arms to pull himself into the horizontal one Sari was in.

Finally, he pushed off the wall with his legs, and was inside the shaft completely, lying on his stomach.

He sighed in relief.

"That was very… Unusual," Sari said, pausing to think of the right word.

Wid nodded, and instantly resumed crawling.

"Show off," Sari muttered.

As they crawled on, they could suddenly hear a loud voice.

"Lay down your weapons now!"

Wid's head perked up. He turned and started down the shaft the voice was coming from.

"Wid? Where you going, big guy? We're trying to stay away from people, remember?" Sari asked.

Wid did not acknowledge her.

He went down the twisting shaft, listening as the voice got louder and louder. He saw a grate up ahead, and knew the voice was coming from within the room.

Wid got as close to the grate as he dared. He could see a man with dark grey hair holding a blaster to a pretty woman's head. In front of him stood a group of five other people, a young boy, a teenage boy, a woman, and two men. He recognized one of the men as Del-Mon.

Wid leaned closer. He suddenly realized that the woman held at gunpoint looked very familiar to him. He gasped when he realized who she was. He knew this woman. He knew her very well.

Rage instantly overtook Wid.

He started to back up.

"Wid, what are you doing?" Sari asked.

Wid ignored her.

"Wid, don't do anything stupid!" she said.

Wid turned to her, and made a few hand signals, telling her to go find Elias.

"But Wid, I-" Sari began to object.

Wid placed his hands on her shoulders and began to push her away.

Sari stopped at the edge of the shaft where it turned away, and Wid waved her off. She reluctantly turned and made her way down the shaft.

As soon as she was gone, Wid charged forwards, going as fast as the cramped space of the shaft would allow him.

His shoulder hit the grate and smashed it off of the wall. Wid hurtled through the opening and tumbled head over heels, landing neatly on his feet directly in front of the grey-haired man.

- - -

"Lay down your weapons now," snapped Darmick.

Aro-Ken looked at Del-Mon, and saw him calmly put his lightsaber on the ground.

Glaring at Darmick, Aro-Ken did the same. King Anjos tossed down his blaster.

"You've all come so far to rescue the queen. It almost seems a shame to kill you," Darmick said. "Any last requests?"

"Yes!" called Anjos.

Darmick looked at him. "Well, get on with it."

"Please, Darmick, don't kill Mattan. He's just a boy!" Anjos said.

"And he is obviously on your side, Atheist!" snarled the Prime Minister.

"Darmick, please, have a heart! He's eight years old, spare him at least!" Anjos said, picking up his son.

Mattan had no idea what to do in such a situation. He remained silent.

"Now, if I was to spare the boy, then I'd have to spare you all, and what fun would that be?" Darmick sarcastically said.

Anjos glared at him. "Darmick-"

"Enough talking! You've stalled long enough! Who will be the brave soul to die first?" Darmick asked.

"I will!" Leckura said from where she stood in Darmick's grasp.

"Leckura, no!" Anjos cried.

"Anjos, I know what I'm doing," Leckura said. She turned to Darmick and took a deep breath. "Kill me first."

"As you wish," said Darmick. He set his blaster appropriately.

"NO!" Anjos shouted.

Suddenly, there was a crash from above. All eyes turned from the scene to watch. The grate on the ventilation shaft fell away, and a man flew through the air, landing in front of Darmick.

- - -

Wid landed next to the grey-haired man on his feet, quickly regaining his posture. He towered over the man.

Before the awestruck Darmick could do anything, Wid had seized his hand and yanked it off the queen, quickly pulling her out of the way.

Wid glared down at Darmick. His expression was pure death. Wid was mad. All his friends knew they should _never_ mess with him when he was mad.

Darmick was terrified. Instinctively, he pulled the trigger of his blaster.

The red bolt hit Wid in the side, but he did not seem to notice.

"Wid!" shouted Del-Mon, but the big silent man ignored him.

Wid began to stalk forward, and Darmick backed away, his expression was frightened. He pulled the trigger again and again, shooting Wid several times in the chest.

Blood poured from his open wounds, but still he continued forward, determined to stop at nothing to kill Darmick.

Darmick drew in a sharp breath. He fired again, hitting Wid in the chest once more, and he fell facedown on the ground.

Darmick took a few deep breaths, getting over the shock, and then quickly turned back to the group of astonished people.

"Where was I?" he asked. He stalked towards the others, aiming his blaster.

Suddenly, Wid's hand twitched. His arms moved, and he slowly hauled his bloody body up.

Leckura gasped, and Darmick turned around. When he saw Wid, his eyes went wide with fear. He screamed, and fired the blaster again and again.

Wid continued forward. He did not falter as more of the lasers hit him.

Finally, he got close enough to Darmick to seize him around the throat. He lifted him from the ground and slammed him against the wall. Wid squeezed tighter and tighter, strangling the Prime Minister. Darmick's hand rigidly stuck out and twitched several times, and he dropped the blaster to the ground.

Darmick gagged and just stared at Wid, the terrified expression on his face never leaving. Finally, his head rolled to one side limply. Wid knew he was dead.

He released Darmick's body and let it fall to the ground. He turned slowly to face the others in the room. Blood ran down his front, staining his clothes and dripping on the ground.

He looked directly at Leckura. He took quick, choking gasps of air as he breathed. He was nearly dead with all the shots in his chest. Anyone would tell you that he should have died long before.

He gazed at Leckura with a longing, sort of desperate look on his face. He staggered slightly, struggling to stay on his feet. His vision was blurry. All he could see was the queen. He opened his mouth slowly, and spoke for the first time in nearly six years. "M… M… Mother," he said to her.

Instantly he collapsed on the ground and moved no more.

-----


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Disclaimer

George Lucas: Owner of Star Wars.

Me: Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.

See the difference? 'Nuff said.

-----

"NO!" screamed Leckura as Wid fell over.

She was instantly on the ground, holding his head in her hands. Tears ran down her face.

"Markaen, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed.

"What?" asked Aro-Ken.

Anjos was equally shocked, but he did not say anything.

Leckura hugged Wid close, not caring about the blood that stained her dress.

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out. "Danya!… Danya, no!"

Del-Mon's head turned to the sound of the voice. He recognized it immediately, but knew there was no way Elias could be inside the building.

"It's coming from outside," Anjos said.

Instantly Del-Mon took off, Aro-Ken at his heels. Behind them, Dahna, Mattan, and Anjos followed.

They arrived on the balcony, and could hear Elias's voice booming over the crowd.

"E-Elias… I… I'm so… So sorry," came another voice. Del-Mon recognized it as Danya's.

He began to scan the still furious battle below, but even with his keen eyesight the Jedi couldn't see Elias anywhere.

"No, Danya, don't be sorry! You… You can't die just like this, it's not real!" Elias's cried.

Slowly, the fighting began to stop below them.

Del-Mon looked up, and saw a swoop hovering high above the heads of the crowd. He could faintly make out Elias's eye patch. In his hand he held what looked like a hologram projector. From it the voices were booming out, echoing over the now still battlefield.

"Elias… You… You are right… We don't need more… Fighting… It has to stop," Danya's voice said.

"No, it's all right, it's all right! Really! This isn't happening, it can't be! Don't die, please don't die!" said Elias.

"I love you, brother… I… I'm sorry… You were right… You were right."

"No! You can't die, you can't! Not after this! I can get you to one of our medics, he can save you, and then…" Elias's sobbed.

"Elias… Good-bye," came Danya's last words.

"Danya? Danya! No… NOOO!" Elias's voice roared. Then the recorder went silent. Elias switched it off.

He put it in his pocket, and then began to yell in his deep, commanding voice. "You all heard that. It was my sister Danya's last words. She was killed just after seeing my point of view. We don't need to fight. Danya died for that cause. If you all can't see that, then this planet will be destroyed. We have to stop this war.

"This is something I'm sure Crixxians and Atheists alike can agree on. Look at yourselves! I'm sure we have brother fighting brother fighting brother, over and over again! We cannot let it go on! Please, I beg of you, don't let my sister have died in vain. We've got to stop this before it gets any worse."

Elias looked over the teeming masses below him hopefully.

A voice rang out. "He's right!"

Inspired by that person, others began to speak. "Yes!" "We don't need to fight!" "We've got to stop it now!"

Before long, every person in the grounds below was cheering, shouting, and clapping. The noise was nearly deafening.

A single tear rolled down Elias's cheek. "Thank you."

- - -

The smile on Anjos's face was unrivaled as he gazed down at the celebrating people below. Suddenly, he remembered something.

"Leckura!" he cried. Instantly he spun around on his heel and returned to the room he'd left his wife in. No one followed him.

He arrived and saw her still on the ground, holding the dead man's body close.

"Leckura?" he asked.

She lifted her tear-streaked face to look at him. "Anjos, I'm sorry," she said.

"I'm sorry also. Tell me, who is this man?" asked Anjos.

Leckura took a few deep breaths. "His… His name is Markaen. He is my son."

Anjos looked at her awestruck for a moment. "Your son?"

"Yes," she replied.

Anjos sat down next to her in disbelief.

Leckura planted her lips to her dead son's forehead for a moment before turning back to Anjos.

"I… I should have told you this long ago," she said.

Anjos fell instantly silent, intently looking at her as she began to speak.

"You know how we had never met before our marriage, don't you?" she asked.

"Of course," Anjos nodded.

"Well, I… I was secretly in love with another man before the wedding was planned. His name was Manx. He saw me every night, when my father was asleep. Father was a Prime Minister, I know he would have had Manx killed if he found out.

"When the marriage was arranged, I had to leave Manx to come to the palace. We were both distressed, but still wrote each other and sent messages. When I arrived at the palace, I found out I was pregnant. And I knew that Manx was the father of my child, not you, Anjos," said Leckura.

"You mean… But you told me that I was the father," Anjos said in shock.

"I had to! The Prime Ministers would have killed Manx and the child if I'd revealed that he was the real father! I couldn't bear to see it happen!" Leckura cried.

"All right, I understand that much. But why was I led to believe that the child was dead?" asked Anjos curiously.

"The Prime Ministers instructed the nursemaids to do a DNA test of my child. The found out that the DNA only matched me, not you. They told the Prime Ministers, and they said I should kill the child and tell you that he was dead. So I went to the highest tower of the palace with him. I was… I was going to drop him from it!" Leckura said, tears beginning to drip down her cheeks again.

"Yet I see you didn't," Anjos said, controlling himself much better than his wife was.

"No. I couldn't. I just held him in my arms and looked at him, and then I just knew that I couldn't kill him. He was so young and helpless, it just wasn't fair.

"So I took aside one of the nursemaids, and cleared out one of the big rooms near the top of the palace, and told her to care for him from there. I had food left outside the door for her to bring inside," Leckura explained.

"You told me that you were clearing out the room so you would have somewhere to relax by yourself," said Anjos.

"Yes, I did. I'm so sorry for lying to you, but I was so scared! I didn't know what you would do if you found out about Markaen!" Leckura cried.

"So have you been keeping him in there for the past twenty years?" asked Anjos.

"No, only about fifteen. I'd visit him every night. I'd told the nurse to be sure he never yelled. He was a very quiet boy. I'd bring him things, little treats when he was very good and presents on his birthday. Until the very day he turned fifteen. That's when the Prime Ministers found out about him," Leckura answered.

"Go on," Anjos bade.

"They knew I was leaving every night, and followed me. This was shortly before Darmick came to power. Prime Minister Relfen's spies managed to see inside the room when I entered, and they saw Markaen.

"The next day was Markaen's birthday. I remember the evening so perfectly. I was in the room with him and the nurse. He'd just hugged me. Then the door opened, and three guards came in armed with blasters. Markaen fought them and tried to protect me, but they seized him and dragged him away.

"I asked where they were taking him, and they told me that he was going to be thrown in prison for the rest of his life. About a month afterwards I slipped out of the palace and went to the jail. I told the guards that you had sent me to do a routine check of the prison and they let me in. I found Markaen, discovered that they were torturing him. I told him that I was going to get him out the next day. I came back as I had promised, but he was gone. They told me there had been a prison break. I didn't know what to do, so I went about my life as I normally would have. I've had no idea of my son's whereabouts for five years," Leckura sadly looked down at the dead man.

"And now it's too late! He died to save me, and I couldn't even protect him from those guards five years ago!" she sobbed.

Anjos sighed, and put an arm on her shoulder. "Leckura… I have a confession to make too."

For the better part of the next hour, they sat together, talking and apologizing over and over again.

Finally, they just looked at each other.

"You still love Dahna, don't you?" asked Leckura.

Anjos looked at the ground. "Yes."

"And I still have strong feelings for Manx. I know he would never marry anyone but me," Leckura said.

"So… What are we going to do now?" asked Anjos.

"I don't know. But we can't be married while we each love another," said Leckura.

"Then you propose a divorce?" asked Anjos.

Leckura looked down.

"Leckura, it is the only solution," said Anjos.

"Yes. Yes, you are right," said Leckura.

After staring at each other for a moment, the king and queen hugged each other for the last time.

- - -

As King Anjos turned and ran back inside the palace, Del-Mon, Aro-Ken, Mattan, and Dahna remained on the balcony.

Elias's swoop steered down towards them.

"It's over," the one-eyed man said with strong relief in his voice.

"Yes. Elias, I congratulate you. That was very skillfully handled," Del-Mon said to his friend.

"Thank you. I see you invited the whole gang to the closing speech," Elias said.

"Oh, sorry. Elias, this is my apprentice, Aro-Ken Rumos," said Del-Mon, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Pleasure," Elias said, firmly shaking Aro-Ken's hand. "What about them?" he asked, pointing to Dahna and Mattan.

"I'm not quite sure who they are either. Aro-Ken, some introductions please?" Del-Mon asked.

"Oh, right. Del-Mon, this is Dahna and Mattan," Aro-Ken said, pointing out each of them in turn.

Elias swung his legs around to the side of his swoop that faced the balcony and jumped onto it.

"Hello, miss," Elias said, taking Dahna's hand and kissing it daintily.

Dahna smiled at him, and Mattan wandered to the edge of the balcony to examine the swoop. He looked over it with intense fascination.

As Elias immediately struck up a conversation with Dahna, Aro-Ken turned away and spoke to Del-Mon.

"Master, I've been meaning to speak to you about Mattan," he said.

"What about him?" asked Del-Mon. He all ready knew the answer to his question.

"He is Force sensitive. I know for a fact," said Aro-Ken.

"Yes, I feel it too," said Del-Mon.

"What are we going to do then?" asked Aro-Ken.

Del-Mon thought a moment, watching Mattan as he curiously examined the swoop. "The choice is your, Padawan."

Aro-Ken blinked. "Mine?"

"Yes. You are the one who discovered him. You know him best. I've only just met him. What do you think we should do?" asked Del-Mon.

"Well… The Council will say he is too old to be trained," Aro-Ken said.

"Yes, but that does not mean they will stay with their decision. You will find that if you negotiate reasonably with them and remain calm, the Council will listen to you," Del-Mon said.

"Listen to _me_?" asked Aro-Ken.

"Yes, you. The Force is very strong with this boy. I felt it the instant he entered the hangar. He must be trained. The Council will be reluctant to pass up such great talent. You know him best. First off, do you think he'll want to?" asked Del-Mon.

"Definitely. He'll do it without hesitation," replied Aro-Ken.

"Do you think his mother will agree to it?"

"She wants what it best for Mattan. If he really wants to, I don't think Dahna will object," Aro-Ken truthfully answered his master.

"Then you've just made the decision. I will leave it to you to speak to them both," said Del-Mon.

"Are… Are you sure?" Aro-Ken uncertainly asked. He'd never really been trusted with such a responsibility.

"I have great faith in you, Padawan. You are old enough and mature enough to handle such a situation. In the meantime, I have to go find the king and queen and talk to them," said Del-Mon.

"Master!" called Aro-Ken as Del-Mon began to walk away.

"I will seek you out when I am finished," he called over his shoulder. "Elias, we must find the king and queen and speak to them."

The one eyed man flashed a grin at Dahna and walked away without an objection.

Aro-Ken sat on the balcony railing, and gestured for Dahna to join him. She was seated next to him.

"Dahna, as I have told you several times before, your son is very special," Aro-Ken said.

"Yes," Dahna agreed as she watched her son.

"I know why he has these abilities. It is the Force," Aro-Ken told her.

"The Force?" Dahna asked in slight disbelief.

"Yes. He is a very strong potential Jedi. He would do very well if he was trained," Aro-Ken said.

"You want to train him?" asked Dahna.

"Well, probably not me personally, but he would be trained. I'd doubt the Council would turn down someone with so much talent and potential," Aro-Ken said.

Dahna looked at her son and sighed. "I see nothing wrong with the training, but there is something I would like to do first."

"And that is?" asked Aro-Ken.

"I'd like him to stay until I work things out with Anjos. I want him to know his real father," said Dahna.

"Of course. Take as much time as you need," Aro-Ken said.

"Thank you, Aro-Ken," said Dahna.

"For what?" he asked.

"For everything," Dahna replied. She wrapped her arms around him in an affectionate embrace, and then rose and walked away to sit near her son.

-----


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Disclaimer

George Lucas: Owner of Star Wars.

Me: Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands.

See the difference? 'Nuff said.

And yes, I know the whole "too old, too risky, can't train him" thing has been used a lot, in TPM especially, but it doesn't really matter to me. I think I did a good job of changing it for my purposes, and it's not like Anakin was the only iffy apprentice case the Council ever had. And keep in mind that this is pre-TPM, so the Council is made up of different people.

-----

Aro-Ken nervously sat next to his master about a week later. They were on Coruscant, waiting outside the Council Room. Mattan was inside. The masters were testing him, making sure that his talents were for real. The boy had been in there for the better part of an hour.

The two Jedi had left Crixxin after several agreements were reached with their help.

Prince Talno was arrested and tried in the Court of Crixxin, and was promptly sentenced to life in prison for attempted genocide. Nati met the same fate, although she was sentenced to life since she had been second-in-command in the plot against the royal family and the Atheists.

King Anjos and Queen Leckura had gotten their divorce as planned. Anjos had married Dahna almost immediately. The main reason they'd stayed on Crixxin for so long after was because Dahna wanted Mattan to spend some time with Anjos before he left for Coruscant.

Leckura on the other hand had left to go to Rimma, Crixxin's intellectual capital, and the city that her father still governed. She had succeeded in finding Markaen's father Manx, and found he had not gotten married. They had made arrangements, and planned to be wed within the month.

King Anjos had resigned, and Leckura did not wish to take the throne. Before he stepped down, Anjos announced to the citizens of the planet that he wished for elections to be held. Immediately candidates had been suggested, and Elias was among them. Sari became his campaign manager. From the looks of it, he would almost surely win when election day came, as all Crixxians quickly learned of the great role he had played to bring peace to the planet.

The funerals of Danya and Markaen were attended by many. Sari was grief-stricken as she sat at Markaen's funeral, and revealed that she had fallen deeply in love with him in the time she'd known him. Leckura had silently stood and watched as her son's body was lowered into the earth.

Elias was deeply touched by the death of his sister. He'd resolved to settle religious differences immediately if he won the election, which he was almost sure to.

Before they left, Del-Mon and Aro-Ken had started to help with the rebuilding of Crixx. Nearly all of the able-bodied citizens were helping to tear down the bombed out buildings, and wonderful plans to restore the beautiful city were in progress.

Everyone knew it would take time to make the city flourish once again, but until then support was pouring in from all over the galaxy. Transports arrived on an almost hourly basis from various planets filled with food and building tools and materials to help with the reconstruction.

Finally, once Dahna felt Mattan and Anjos were ready, the conflict was completely gone, and the new plans for the city were completed, Del-Mon and Aro-Ken had left for Coruscant, bringing Mattan with them.

Aro-Ken rose and impatiently paced the hallway outside the door of the Council Room.

"Aro-Ken, have patience. If you cannot control your impatience now, you don't have much of a chance persuading the Council," said Del-Mon.

"I'm sorry, but it's so tense. Are you sure you can't come in with me?" asked Aro-Ken.

"That is up to the Council," Del-Mon simply replied.

Suddenly, the door opened, and out stepped Master Jax Dondora and Mattan. Jax was a tall black man who had dark hair that he kept tied back in a ponytail that went down to his neck. He had hair around his mouth as well, and had mysterious deep silver eyes. He was a Human, and one of the most respected members of the Jedi Council.

"Aro-Ken, the Council wishes to speak to you. Alone," Jax said in his deep, powerful voice.

Swallowing nervously and taking a deep breath, Aro-Ken followed Jax into the Council Room. The Council Room was suspended high above the streets of Coruscant. From the windows that went around almost the entire room one could see transports and cloud cars of all shapes and sizes hovering about the planet. The room itself was circular and all the round chairs for the members were placed according to layout of the room so as not to show rank of any kind. Even when he lived at the Temple, Aro-Ken had only been inside the Council Room on very rare occasions.

"Aro-Ken Rumos, we have examined the boy very thoroughly," said Jax, taking his seat at the far end of the room.

"And?" asked Aro-Ken.

"He is very Force sensitive, as you suspected. He has more talent than I have seen in a long time," Jax replied.

"Then is he to be trained?" asked Aro-Ken.

Jax looked to a Sullustan Master by the name of Ridl Nlana who sat near him.

"No," she said, shaking her head.

"No?" Aro-Ken repeated.

"No. He will not be trained," Ridl repeated herself.

"Do you speak for all the Council members when you say this?" asked Aro-Ken.

"No!" called a voice.

All heads turned to the round chair nearest to the door. In it sat a young man, probably only five years old than Aro-Ken. The young Jedi remembered his name was Ton-San Windam. His hair was still growing out of the traditional Padawan haircut. His hair was a dark grey color, and his eyes were hazel. Ton-San was a Dendayan, a skin-changer. His humanoid specie rarely showed expression. He was the youngest member of the Council, and one of the strongest as well.

"I do not agree with the decision of the rest of the Council," he said.

"Really, Ton-San?" asked Master Mace Windu.

"Yes. I strongly disagree. A boy of such talent should not be turned away!" said the young man.

"He is too old to begin Jedi training," Mace calmly said.

"Yes, but he has so much potential! How can you pass up such an opportunity?" asked Ton-San.

"With such potential and talent, and being trained at such an age may turn him to the Dark Side. I sensed fear in him. I, for one, do not want such a powerful opponent," Jax said.

"Master Dondora, you don't know that. With a good master he could easily avoid it," said Aro-Ken.

"Are you suggesting that he become your apprentice?" asked Ni'Bekk, a tall, slender, light blue-skinned alien from the planet Jaa'Moor.

"No, of course not! I am merely stating that he won't necessarily go to the Dark Side as you keep saying. As you remember, I was once dangerously close to the Dark Side, but I got away," Aro-Ken said.

"Tell me, who do you think will take such an old boy? It will take much longer to train him since he hasn't had any previous training," Jax said.

"I don't know, but there has to be someone," said Aro-Ken confidently.

"Padawan Rumos, assumptions your statements are. Know if they are true you do not," said Master Yoda from his seat next to Mace Windu.

"Perhaps that is correct. But I'm not giving up," Aro-Ken firmly stated.

"All right, I propose a vote. All of those who say that the boy Mattan should not be trained?" asked Jax, putting up his hand.

All the other Council members' hands went up. All except one.

"Ton-San, you still disagree?" asked Ki-Adi-Mundi, the alien with a very tall, bald head and a wisp of a silver beard on his chin.

"I do," said Ton-San.

Jax looked at him with a piercing gaze for a moment. Then Ton-San got to his feet.

"I have learned to connect to the living Force very well. My old master would tell you that that is where much of my talent lies. I know this boy would do very well if he was trained properly," said Ton-San.

"So what do you suggest?" asked Mace Windu.

"If this Council will not permit Mattan to be trained, then I will train him myself," said Ton-San.

"Really, Ton-San?" asked Jax.

"Yes. With or without the Council's permission," Ton-San firmly stated.

"You would go against the Council's wishes only to see this boy trained?" asked Ni'Bekk in his smooth, cool, almost liquid sounding voice.

"Yes. I would," said Ton-San. He looked about the room, his eyes filled with fierce determination.

"Know that if you train the boy, you do so without the full support of the Council," said Mace.

"I'm sure that is true. But I don't care. I was in a similar situation when I arrived at the Temple, and one master went against the Council and trained me. I don't care what this Council says. I will train him," Ton-San said.

Aro-Ken looked at him in slight amazement, his jaw slightly agape. He hadn't known what to expect when Mattan was tested, but he certainly had never expected for anyone to jump up and offer to train him right away.

"Padawan Rumos?" asked Yoda.

"Er, yes, Master Yoda?" he asked, quickly regaining his composition.

"Agree to this, will the boy?" asked Jax.

"Yes, definitely," Aro-Ken answered, nodding.

Yoda sighed and closed his eyes. "A bad idea I believe this is. But… allow it I will, if also the other Council members will."

There was a chorus of agreements from about the room, some of them reluctant ones.

Jax took a deep breath and let it out. "Fine. Ton-San, the boy will be your Padawan," he said.

Aro-Ken sighed in relief. He turned to Ton-San, who stood triumphantly off to the side.

"Think you're up to it?" he asked.

"I don't know. But the Force will guide me. Of this I am sure," Ton-San calmly said.

"Aro-Ken, please take Ton-San to meet his new apprentice," said Jax.

"Yes, Master Dondora. Honorable members of the Council, I thank you for your time," Aro-Ken said. He respectfully bowed, as did Ton-San, and they walked from the room.

They found Mattan and Del-Mon waiting for them outside.

"What happened?" Mattan instantly asked.

"The Council has agreed that you will be trained. Mattan, this is your new master, Ton-San Windam. Ton-San, this is Mattan," Aro-Ken said.

"Hello," said Ton-San. He gently shook Mattan's hand.

"Ton-San, I wish you luck with your Padawan," Del-Mon said.

"Thank you, Master Del-Mon," Ton-San said.

As the two men conversed, Aro-Ken turned and squatted down to Mattan's eye level.

"What will happen to me now?" Mattan asked.

"You're going to be trained as a Jedi," Aro-Ken answered.

"For how long?"

"A long time. Probably more than ten years at your age," said Aro-Ken.

"Will I still get to see you?" Mattan hopefully asked.

"Yes. I'm sure the Force will allow it," answered Aro-Ken.

"Come, Aro-Ken. As you remember, the Council has arranged another mission for us. There is a potential Jedi on M'jaan VI," Del-Mon said.

"Yes, Master," Aro-Ken respectfully said.

He turned, and followed his master down the hallway.

"Bye, Aro-Ken!" Mattan's voice called from behind him.

"Good bye, Mattan," Aro-Ken said.

Finally, the two masters and two apprentices walked away from each other, all four ready to face whatever lay ahead.

-----


End file.
